Ex-approved product offers highly flexible communications capabilities for use in hazardous environments, such as petrochemical plants

Comprehensive range of compatible handsets includes the only Ex-approved model on the UK market with vibrator call alert

ANT Telecommunications has launched an intrinsically safe DECT base station to facilitate low-cost cordless communications in hazardous environments, such as petrochemical plants and refineries. The company believes that its new RBS 492 DECT (digital enhanced cordless telecommunication) base station is the first in the UK to be certified under ATEX 100a Directive 94/9/EC as suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. ANT Telecom already supplies EX-approved industrial DECT handsets as part of the communications systems it produces for use in hazardous environments. The ability to now be able to place DECT base stations within hazardous areas will enable the company to provide customers in the petrochemical sector with total site communications facilities, offering seamless communication between all the people on the site, as well as connection to the public telephone network. The improved efficiency of a DECT system compared with a conventional radio system will offset the cost of installing this technology.

The RBS 492 DECT base station is completely self-contained, comes equipped with antennae, and is suitable for use outdoors as well as indoors. Any number of base stations can be used to secure the network coverage needed for a particular installation; the DECT protocol is specifically designed to support a pico-cellular network structure to facilitate local roaming. Powerful dynamic channel selection and allocation techniques are employed to ensure seamless hand-over from one base station to another, as a user moves in and out of range. The entire system operates in the licence-free 1880 to 1900MHz band. These attributes - together with the fact that the base stations are line powered and can be placed exactly where they are needed - simplify network implementation significantly, enabling ANT Telecom to quickly configure high-quality cordless communications systems for virtually any environment.

As a specialist communications solutions company with a particular expertise in systems for process monitoring and safety applications, ANT Telecom already supplies a range of Ex-approved DECT handsets that are compatible with the new RBS 492 base station. Several of these handsets incorporate 'lone worker' features such as emergency call keys, and offer text messaging facilities that can be used as part of a fully integrated process - or site-monitoring system. The range also includes the only Ex-approved DECT handset on the UK market with a vibrator call-alert function.

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The only Ex-approved model on the UK market with vibrator call alert