MER Group Unveils New Communications System at DS Bangkok

 

MER Group has unveiled its new Cellbox-R communications system at the Defence and Security exhibition held in Bangkok between 6th and 11th November.

 

The company has developed the product to provide a Radio Over Internet Protocol (ROIP) communications system which can connect disparate cell phones, tactical radios and public safety radios to one another, providing a fourth generation LTE (Long Term Evolution) communications network.

 

At the heart of the Cellbox-R is MER Group’s ROIP Gateway which receives the transmissions from these devices converts them into an ROIP format and then retransmits the traffic to its desired recipients. The attraction of the system is that it allows users equipped with different communications devices to speak to one another directly.

 

Officials from the firm told MONS that this is particularly useful in the counter-terror context where a number of different organisations such as law enforcement, civilian first responders and the military may be required to respond to a major incident such as a terrorist attack, or a natural disaster, but whom may use different communications devices. The equipment can be ready for use in under one minute of being activated, and the user simply connects an example of each of the communications devices employed by the users to enable the Cellbox-R to receive the radio transmissions.

 

The Cellbox-R is the latest member of the Cellbox family and has a reduced size, compared to previous versions of the system, hot-swappable batteries and a rugged construction. Although declining to name customers, officials from MER Group told MONS that the product is in service. Offering up to eight hours’ operation, the Cellbox-R is “cell phone agnostic,” the company stated with the firm providing a SIM card which can be added to the user’s cell phone to allow it to securely connect to the Cellbox-R. Different radio types can also be accommodated with the firm providing the required cabling to connect these. The Cellbox-R offers ranges of between 500 metres (1640 feet) and several kilometres.