KENWOOD Introduces 700/800MHz Project 25 (P25) Digital Radios for North America

Kanagawa, Japan, December 18, 2009 — KENWOOD Corporation has announced the launch of two new public safety digital radios compatible with Project 25 (P25), a North American set of standards.

Rationale and outline

Ever since its establishment, KENWOOD has been developing its communications business. By leveraging its unique high-frequency technologies and advanced expertise, the company has now won the second largest share of the global market for professional transceivers, its core products.

Since 2003 KENWOOD has been supplying North American customers with Project 25 (P25) professional digital radio equipment in the local, state and federal sectors. Several KENWOOD models have been introduced, keeping pace with changes in the P25 standards and adding new functionality and specifications along the way. In 2009, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission reallocated 24 MHz of the 700 MHz television spectrum for public safety use, in addition to the existing 800, 150 and 450 MHz bands. This paves the way for public safety to build out new 700 MHz systems as well as expand existing 800 MHz systems. The extensive 700 MHz band is managed in 53 regions so that state, county and local agencies can all have their own channels as well as channels for interoperation between agencies to be used in times of emergency, including manmade and natural disasters, when reliable communications are of critical importance.

The new 700/800MHz TK-5410 portable and TK-5910 mobile are compatible with analog, P25 conventional and P25 trunking modes. As well as using the latest AMBE+2 VOCODER to provide optimum voice audio quality, they offer voice encryption options for secure communications, surveillance audio accessories, and the new KCH-16 handheld mobile control head option for low-profile clandestine operations. KENWOOD is actively marketing these new products in all sectors of the public safety market and expects strong business growth as agencies are expanding their systems at a rapid pace.

Registered Trademark

AMBE+2 is a registered trademark of Digital Voice Systems, Inc.