All Bands, All Modes, Full Encryption in One Radio
CLARKSBURG, Md. -- Thales Communications, Inc., announces the introduction of Liberty™, the first multiband software defined Land Mobile Radio (LMR) for government agencies and first responders. For the first time, Federal, State, Local, and U.S. Department of Defense agencies will be able to communicate across all of the public safety bands 136-174 MHz, 380-520 MHz, 700 MHz, and 800 MHz using a single portable radio that operates in direct mode or uses existing infrastructure in any of the bands. Liberty is size, weight, and performance equivalent to existing single-band portable LMRs and eliminates the requirement to carry multiple radios to cover fragmented frequency bands.
The nation learned from the tragic events on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, that a lack of communications and situational awareness paralyzes command and control. The root cause for interoperability remains the same--multiple users in different frequency bands using different waveforms.
Unlike multiband military radios, Liberty is designed to meet stringent public safety specifications. It is a single, easy-to-use radio that provides all modes standardized for public safety use including Project 25 (P25) conventional, P25 trunked, and legacy analog. Liberty offers Data Encryption Standard (DES) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption with Over-the-air Rekeying (OTAR) and all of the typical features that are available in LMRs today. The radio’s Mil-Spec metal housing is submersible to two meters.
“The ability for all government agencies and first responders to be able to communicate with each other any time over all public safety bands is crucial to the safety and security of our nation,” said Mitch Herbets, President and CEO of Thales Communications. “We have leveraged our proven expertise in software-defined radio technology for the military into a no-compromise solution that addresses the interoperability challenges of the public safety community.”
Thales Communications has invested significant funding to create working “proof-of-concept” radios that are being used to validate the concept with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate, as well as with numerous first responder focus groups. Thales Communications exhibited the Liberty radios in a live “over-the-air” demonstration of P25 operation in all frequency bands at the International Wireless Communications Expo in Las Vegas on February 27. DHS has awarded Thales Communications a one-year contract to pilot test the Liberty radio with various first responders across multiple levels of government later this year.
About Thales
Thales Communications, Inc. (www.thalescomminc.com), is a leader in the development of battle-proven, software-defined, radio equipment and solutions. The company provides critical communication capabilities for use in size-, weight-, and power-constrained environments in the Tactical, Homeland Security, and Naval/Maritime domains throughout the globe. A U.S. proxy company (100% American), Thales Communications is part of the Thales Group of companies (www.thalesgroup.com), a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing defense, aerospace, and security markets worldwide. The Group’s civil and military businesses develop a base of technologies to serve a single objective: the security of people, property, and nations. The Group employs 68,000 people in 50 countries with 2007 revenues in excess of $18 billion