KENWOOD Launches Simultaneous Communications System, VoIP Radio Dispatch System, which Enables Reduction of System Establishment Costs

KENWOOD Corporation^* (President: Kazuo Shiohata, Head Office: Hachioji-shi, Tokyo) is pleased to announce that it will launch the VoIP radio dispatch system called Series 6000 VoIP Radio Dispatch System (VoIP RDS), early in April. Developed by the U.S. subsidiary Zetron Inc. (Zetron), this system enables users to reduce the time and costs for establishing a simultaneous communications system by connecting radio equipment with networks.

This is the first time KENWOOD will sell Zetron’s radio communications system on a full-scale basis in Japan. With this move, KENWOOD will expand its business area of professional radio equipment, while enlarging the said business in Japan.

* On October 1, 2008, KENWOOD Corporation became a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVC KENWOOD Holdings Inc., a joint holding company established through a share transfer following the management integration of KENWOOD Corporation and Victor Company of Japan, Limited.

Background and overview of the product

KENWOOD turned Zetron into its subsidiary in May 2007 to expand its business area of professional radio equipment, for which KENWOOD boasts the world’s second largest market share, by shifting from the supply of radio terminals to the supply of system solutions. Zetron, a U.S. radio communications system company, develops, manufactures and sells on a global basis radio communications command and control systems and wireless communications network systems for the public safety sector and business & industry sector.

Radio communications systems enable direct, simultaneous and sure calls, things that mobile phones cannot offer, and they enjoy steady demand from a wide range of industries and occupation categories, including police and fire departments in the public safety sector, and hotels and factories in the business & industry sector.

The newly launched VoIP RDS is a system that connects radio equipment with IP networks based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology which uses local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) to transmit and receive voice data between PC consoles and radio equipment at base stations. By installing specific applications on general PCs, this system does not require the conventional console that is specially designed and hence expensive, resulting in reducing the time and costs needed for establishing a simultaneous communications system. This system also can eliminate coverage holes, expand the coverage area in accordance with customer needs, and control radio equipment at remote sites. In this system, users can use their PC console to select simultaneous calls, selective calls or inter-group calls. Furthermore, as this system accommodates up to 12 PC consoles and up to 20 radios at a base station, it can be flexibly used at small or large facilities, including high-rise hotels and shopping malls.

Taking advantage of the high domestic sales of VoIP RDS, KENWOOD will begin selling Zetron’s other radio communications systems in Japan, aiming to accelerate a plan to expand its business area of professional radio equipment by shifting from the supply of terminals to the supply of complete system, while enlarging the said business in Japan.

VoIP RDS system

Configuration of VoIP RDS