Enhanced interoperability with broadband push-to-talk from Catalyst

Catalyst Communications Technologies, Inc., a provider of radio control over IP solutions to the push-to-talk marketplace, announced on Jan. 23 enhanced interoperability with broadband push-to-talk (PTT).

The Catalyst IP console now allows public safety and other critical communications dispatchers to better manage the priority of PTT calls on commercial networks, such as Verizon Wireless, and to better manage subscribers from other agencies that use these networks. With the click of a mouse, dispatchers can indefinitely extend a session on a commercial network, so that field personnel and dispatchers can better maintain instant communications on that network and with traditional Land Mobile Radios (LMRs).

Using Catalyst’s exclusive IntelliLink technology, broadband PTT calls are routed to Project 25, SmartNet, EDACS, DMR and other radio systems for instant communications. Dispatchers can monitor this traffic and the elevated priority status, both visually and audibly, and can revert to standard priority with a single mouse click.

Catalyst now also allows dispatchers to quickly add new commercial broadband subscribers to the interoperability solution for instant communications with traditional LMRs, via two alternative approaches. The broadband subscriber can call the dispatcher directly and will be automatically logged as a visitor on the console. The dispatcher can authenticate that visitor and assign a 50-character alpha numeric alias to that subscriber that will be visible to other dispatchers and saved in the console’s call history and other log files each time a call is made.

Alternatively, the dispatcher can add a new subscriber to the database without a call between the subscriber and the dispatcher. Earlier versions of the Catalyst system allowed the system administrator to add individual subscribers, as well as groups of subscribers, and this capability carries forward.

In all three cases, the broadband subscriber can be included in an interoperability call with public safety officials using Project 25, SmartNet, EDACS, DMR or other radios.

Groups of broadband subscribers may also be patched with traditional LMR talk groups. IntelliLink will automatically route the specific broadband talk group to a specific LMR talk group and manage the audio flow even when it is queued by one of the radio systems. The Unit IDs of the broadband subscribers, as well as the traditional LMRs, can be displayed on the console in real time and logged for later analysis.