Wireless Telephone System Product Comparison

TM Wireless Telephone System Product Comparison SpectraLink PCS 150E SpectraLink PCS 150E x 4 SpectraLink PCS 3000

Publication Information Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division, reserves the right, without prior notice, to revise this information publication for any reason, including, but not limited to, utilization of new advances in the state of technical arts or to simply change the design of this document. Further, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Telecommunication Systems Division, also reserves the right, without prior notice, to make such changes in equipment design or components as engineering or manufacturing methods may warrant. 4022051 Version A, August 1999 Copyright 1999 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. Telecommunication Systems Division 9740 Irvine Boulevard Irvine, California 92618-1697 All rights reserved. No part of this manual, covered by the copyrights hereon, may be reproduced in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including recording, taping, photocopying, or information retrieval systems without express written permission of the publisher of this material. StrataAirLink is a trademark of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. Trademarks, registered trademarks, and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Strata AirLink - SpectraLink Wireless Telephone System Comparison Strata AirLink Description The Strata AirLink Wireless Telephone System is one of the most popular Unlicensed Personal Communications Services (UPCS) wireless systems today. It is based upon the proven CTP wireless system that is also sold under various OEM names by several other manufacturers. Strata AirLink uses the 1.9 GHz UPCS band that works best for and is used by most wireless telephone systems today. This band is dedicated to wireless telephone use and free of interference from other devices. Strata AirLink uses the RWIU proprietary integrated digital interface with Strata DK digital business telephone systems. It uses the BSIA external analog station port interface with other telephone systems. Strata AirLink supports up to 1,535 handsets and 256 Base Stations. This provides more than enough capacity for Strata DK telephone systems and other larger non-toshiba PBX systems. SpectraLink Description The SpectraLink Wireless Telephone System is also one of the most popular wireless systems, but it uses the Industrial Scientific Medical (ISM) 900 MHz band. Although many wireless manufacturers have moved away from the 900 MHz band, because of interference with other 900 MHz devices and adjacent cellular band, SpectraLink has significant investment in the 900 MHz products and continues to use this technology. The SpectraLink Wireless Telephone System is available in two configurations: Spectralink PCS 150E Master Control Unit (MCU) designed for small applications and supports 16 line interfaces and 4 Base Stations. Four PCS 150E MCUs can be combined for a maximum capacity of 64 handsets and 16 Base Stations. Spectralink PCS 3000 MCU designed for one or more rack- or wall-mounted shelves, each supporting 10 interface modules. Each module provides 16 line and 6 Base Station interfaces, for a total shelf capacity of 160 handsets and 60 Base Stations. Up to 20 shelves can be combined for a maximum system capacity of 3,200 handsets and 1,000 Base Stations. The PCS 3000 MCU also supports remote interface modules for networking between MCUs. Each remote interface module supports two T1 facilities, enabling networking of Spectralink systems across campuses, towns, or the country. SpectraLink interfaces with several leading PBX systems through digital station port integration and other telephone systems through analog station port interface. SpectraLink 8/99 1

Strata AirLink Advantages Over SpectraLink Strata AirLink Advantages Over SpectraLink The 1.9 GHz UPCS band works better because it is dedicated to wireless handset use and free of interference from other devices. There is uncertain future in the ISM 900 MHz band because of Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) issues and the Spread Spectrum, frequencyhopping technique that creates interference problems with medical equipment like EKGs. Strata AirLink provides better coverage and higher density because of wider Base Station range and the ability to co-locate Base Stations in the same coverage area for greater wireless handset density and use. This minimizes the dead zones and traffic restrictions SpectraLink experiences because of Base Station co-location limitations. Strata AirLink wireless calls remain connected while roaming. SpectraLink wireless calls have a history of dropping while roaming between Base Stations. Adding Base Stations and expanding the Strata AirLink wireless system is easy because it is all part of the same system. Adding Base Stations to the SpectraLink wireless system requires complex reconfiguring and re-wiring, especially when combining multiple Link 150 systems together or growing from the Spectralink PCS 150E to the PCS 3000. Multiple system access enables Strata AirLink wireless handsets to work with up to eight different telephone systems. For customers with multiple locations and telephone systems, the same handsets can be used in different locations saving money and adding convenience. SpectraLink Strengths Established presence in the wireless telephone marketplace. Digital integration with several leading PBX systems emulates proprietary digital telephone sets, making PBX features available to wireless handset users. SpectraLink can support multiple digital PBX interfaces on single and multi-site systems. Why 1.9 GHz Performs Better than 900 MHz Systems No Interference Wireless telephone systems coexist in the 1.9 GHz band without interference. The FCC allocated, for the first time, a dedicated bandwidth for wireless PBX applications. Every system designed according to FCC Part 15.D regulations for the 1.9 GHz UPCS band, must employ a Listen Before Talk (LBT) algorithm in order to coexist with any current or even future application of UPCS systems produced by any manufacturer. The Strata AirLink, like any other UPCS system, avoids using any frequency band that is currently used by other UPCS system of any type. Systems using the 900 MHz band can face severe interference problems from other 900 MHz ISM applications and the adjacent band, licensed cellular telephone that do not use the sophisticated LBT feature. 2 SpectraLink 8/99

Why 1.9 GHz Performs Better than 900 MHz Systems Dedicated Bandwidth The UTAM organization has been mandated by the FCC to clear licensed PCS applications from the 1.9 GHz band, leaving it free for unlicensed applications. At this time, over 90 percent of the counties in the United States do not require frequency coordination. Since twoway microwave systems typically have one-direction frequency in the UPCS band and the other direction frequency in one of the adjacent. Licensed PCS (LPCS) bands, the UPCS clearing process is being accelerated to remove these microwave systems because they cause an interruption in the LPCS bands. No Need for Shutdowns If a primary user of the 900 MHz ISM band experiences interference from a 900 MHz wireless telephone system, which is defined by the FCC as a secondary user in the ISM band, the secondary user is required to shut down the system. Wireless telephone systems are the sole user of the 1.9 GHz UPCS band, so the shutdown rule is not enforced. No Threat from Emerging Wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB) Systems The USB is a new industry standard for Personal Computers (PCs). Every newly shipped PC is equipped with this port for controlling all PC peripherals. The PC industry has chosen to implement the wireless USB protocol in the ISM band and wireless USB chip sets and peripherals are becoming common household products in home settings. This can create a very hostile interference environment for the other users of the ISM band. No USB wireless product will be introduced for the 1.9 GHz UPCS band. Dynamic Channel Allocation Each UPCS system that coexists in the 1.9 GHz band periodically tests its Radio Frequency (RF) channel and automatically moves to a clearer channel if it senses any interference. A scan for clear channels is also performed when the system selects a new control channel or initiates a new conversation. This dynamic channel allocation algorithm enables users to deploy a system anywhere since the system looks for the usable frequencies by itself. In contrast, 900 MHz systems often use the complicated fixed-frequency allocation method, or they simply implement a random channel allocation algorithm and can suffer from erroneous transmissions when experiencing interference. Bandwidth Utilization By using sophisticated audio processing vocoders, Strata AirLink uses a very narrow bandwidth. This enables the system to use more carrier frequencies (32) in the 10 MHz bandwidth of the UPCS band. This feature significantly increases the capacity of the system to 256 full duplex channels that can be served simultaneously without any frequency reuse. The ability to serve this number of calls at the same time makes Strata AirLink very suitable for small and large commercial installations. SpectraLink 8/99 3

Why 1.9 GHz Performs Better than 900 MHz Systems Low Transmitted Power Strata AirLink, like other UPCS products, transmits significantly less power than 900 MHz systems (40mW peak power in Strata AirLink handsets as compared to up to 1000mW, the maximum power in 900 MHz handsets). The low level of transmitted RF power enables the systems to: Reuse frequencies more efficiently Reduce the chance of interfering with other systems High Coverage and Flexibility The Strata AirLink system is a very flexible because it can grow from a single-cell system with 8 users to a 128-cell system with more than 1,500 users with multiple Base Station Interface Adapters (BSIAs). The large number of carriers and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) slots per frame enables the system to serve up to 256 users simultaneously without any frequency reuse. The coverage factor of 1,500 users/256 simultaneous conversations is much higher than a typical 900 MHz system. Strata AirLink also provides wider roaming between Base Stations, and handsets can even work with up to eight different telephone systems for customers with multiple locations and telephone systems. All of these factors provide the best coverage on the market today. Solution to Critical Capacity Demanding Areas In a very crowded area like a convention center or conference room, more than one Strata AirLink Base Station can be installed to accommodate more users. No special installation restrictions exist because the dynamic channel allocation feature (see Dynamic Channel Allocation ) enables a simple sharing of the frequency band. Most 900 MHz wireless telephone systems cannot enable two or more Base Stations to share the same geographical area. The 900 MHz Band is Being Abandoned by the Market Market preference for 1.9 GHz systems is evidenced by the fact that 55 percent of all wireless telephone systems sold today are 1.9 GHz, compared to 32 percent for 900 MHz, and 13 percent for others. According to leading industry research firms, 1.9 GHz wireless systems will continue to gain popularity and 900 MHz vendors to lose more market share until they eventually convert their products from 900 MHz to 1.9 GHz. Some wireless system manufacturers are switching from the 900 MHz band to the 2.4 GHz band to avoid some of the problems inherent with the 900 MHz band. However, the 2.4 GHz band is still ISM and subject to the same interference and other traffic issues as the 900 MHz band. This means wireless LANs and other emerging wireless ISM applications may quickly saturate this band as much as they have 900 MHz. 4 SpectraLink 8/99

Product Comparison Product Comparison Air Protocol Strata AirLink Integrated RWIU Strata AirLink External BSIA SpectraLink PCS 150E 1. Four Spectalink PCS 150E MCUs can be combined into one system. 2. Cannot co-locate more than one base station (BS). SpectraLink PCS 150E x 4 1 SpectraLink PCS 3000 RF Band UPCS 1.9GHz UPCS 1.9 GHz ISM 900 MHz ISM 900 MHz ISM 900 MHz Protocol Interface Types Integrated TDMA/TDD Digital Toshiba DK424/DK280/DK40i/ DK40/DK16e anddk16 TDMA/TDD External Adjunct N/A Analog TDMA/CDMA TDMA/CDMA TDMA/CDMA no No No No Digital station port (Comdial, Fujitsu, Lucent, Mitel, NEC, Nortel, Siemens, Toshiba Analog to others) Digital station port (Comdial, Fujitsu, Lucent, Mitel, NEC, Nortel, Siemens, Toshiba Analog to others) Digital station port (Comdial, Fujitsu, Lucent, Mitel, NEC, Nortel, Siemens, Toshiba Analog to others) Number of Users Per System 336 1,535 16 64 3,200 Registered to Base Station 336 1,535 8 8 18 Simultaneous Call Capacity Per Base Station 8 8 4 4 4 Usable RF Channels 256 256 8 32 1,600 Max. Base Station Co-location 44 80 4 2 4 1 4 1 System Coverage Per Base Station 200K~320K ft. 200K~320K ft. 10K~50K ft. 10K~50K ft. 10K~50K ft. Per System >80 Million ft. >80 Million ft. 375K ft. 1.5 Million ft. 100 Million ft. Max. Number of BS 44 256 4 16 1000 Roaming Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Handoff Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Handset RF Power Max./ Average 80/5mW 80/5mW 100/12.5mW 100/12.5mW 100/12.5mW Talk Time 4 hrs. 4 hrs. 2 or 4 hrs. 2 or 4 hrs. 2 or 4 hrs. Standby Time 40 hrs. 40 hrs. 40 hrs. or 80 hrs. 40 hrs. or 80 hrs. 40 hrs. or 80 hrs. Weight 6.2 oz. 6.2 oz. 5 oz. 5 oz. 5 oz. Battery Type NiMH NiMH NiCD/NiMH NiCD/NiMH NiCD/NiMH Recharge Time <1 hr. <1 hr. 14 hrs. or 1 hr. 14 hrs. or 1 hr. 14 hrs. or 1 hr. Base Station Number of BS per Controller 4 2 4 16 6 Power Option Remote/Local Remote/Local Local Local Local Controller I/F Type 2 prs. 24W - Digital 2 prs. 24W - Digital 2, 3 or 4 prs. Digital 2, 3 or 4 prs. Digital 2, 3 or 4 prs. Digital Distance from PBX 3,000 ft. 3,000 ft. 2,200 ft. 2,200 ft. 6,000 ft. Price Per User Average $900 - $1,100 $900 - $1,100 $900 - $1,400 $900 - $1,400 $1,000 - $1,300 SpectraLink 8/99 5

Product Comparison Legend Description Protocol Interface Type (Integrated or External Adjunct) Number of Registered Users per Base Station Usable RF Channels Maximum Base Station Co-location Roaming Handoff Price per Line Describes the access type of the Air-Protocol and lists the standard name. Specifies the ability of the solution to work behind a PBX or be directly integrated into the PBX. Integrated is the RWIU integrated controller PCB for Strata DK. An external adjunct is the BSIA external controller. Gives the maximum number of users that can be locked to a given base station even without being in active conversation. The number of full duplex voice links the system can allocate without reusing any of the frequencies. Gives an indicator of how many Base Stations can be co-located at the very same place. The ability to move from Base Station to Base Station during on-hook state and maintain locking mode with the strongest Base Station. The same as roaming, but during active conversation. An average end user price for a Handset plus the relevant part of the infrastructure. Note that price data are collected from different sources, including vendor-published information. Final street price may vary. Disclaimer This competitive report reflects information gathered from a variety of sources. In some cases, available information is limited and subject to interpretation, or may not reflect the latest developments of these products. To the best of our knowledge, this information is current and accurate, but is supplied on a best-available basis. 6 SpectraLink 8/99