DMR is full steam ahead

The number of interoperability test sessions carried out are increasing, therefore the DMR Association has developed a common application interface specification for digital mobile radio infrastructure to further enhance interoperability - the Application Interface Specification.

The digital mobile radio (DMR) uptake in the current market is very much driven by the application and data support that it provides. While the DMR standard does specify various means of data transport over the air interface, it currently does not include an interface standard between the DMR network and application devices.

An important aspect of open standards is interoperability as it provides choice as well as comfort, that by selecting a digital mobile radio system, a buyer is not tied into a single vendor solution. The DMR Association is therefore pleased to see that not only is the number of interoperability test sessions (IOP) carried out increasing but the test cases covered by IOP are expanding as well.

To further enhance interoperability, the technical working group of the association has embarked on a complex task - to agree on a common application interface specification for DMR infrastructure. This interface, called the Application Interface Specification (AIS), will provide connectivity for well-known radio network peripherals such as dispatch consoles and voice recorders, and it will also support data applications like location services tools, workforce management applications and telemetry systems.

The association is committed to this enhancement because it will lead to lower research and development costs for CAD and console manufacturers, who will not be forced to develop specific interfaces for different digital networks. A further benefit will be faster time-to-market for value-added applications.

2012 is proving to be an important year for the association and the DMR standard. The membership numbers are growing steadily, with members all over the world including Russia, Turkey and China. Also important is the growing number of application developers, system integrators and test equipment manufacturers that have joined.

In the course of the year, numerous DMR products have already been launched and we expect more to be released in the next few months. The releases include the offering of the long-awaited DMR Tier III (trunked DMR) products, where one vendor has launched their trunked DMR and two further vendors have revealed their release plans.

The growing number of application providers that join the association as category 2 members as well as the commitment of application vendors to join as a category 1 member (in order to actively participate in the AIS development) is a confirmation that this addition to the standard will further increase the success of DMR.

The AIS interface is an infrastructure interface for applications. When the initial draft of that work is completed, a mobile station interface will be defined as well. The completion of these tasks will be a significant step towards bringing digital mobile radio technology forward and provide long-term benefits to the users of DMR.

*Monique Princen is chair of the Marketing Working Group of the DMR Association. She works as solutions marketing manager for Tait Communications, with responsibilities for the company’s DMR program as well as utility solutions. Her extensive career in technology includes project and program management roles for companies in the communications, security and electronics markets across New Zealand and Europe. Monique is a member of several industry working groups including the DMR Association.