CORTEX system becomes TETRA compatible

Recently announced by APD is CORTEX – a modular Software-Integrated Communications Control System (SICCS) package that allows the seamless combination of radio dispatch, telephone call handling, video monitoring and web services.

Rather than having a completely separate PC, screen, audio and visual presentation for each data source, incoming calls from radio and phone are pooled into configurable call queues.

All the incoming information is then displayed and controlled from one screen with any audio presented on a single headset, which reduces the time taken to log incidents and lessens despatch time. As the system is compatible with the TETRA system, CORTEX offers a Generic TETRA Interface (GTI) that gives an effective means of managing a diverse range of inputs that a typical control centre would handle.

Neil McCutcheon, CORTEX Product Manager at APD explains, “TETRA radio system suppliers do not always have telephony skills – their expertise is mainly radio. The CORTEX GTI allows them to concentrate on their own technology whilst benefiting from APD’s market-leading SICCS and providing their customers with a best-of-breed solution.”

CORTEX is already compatible with TETRA systems from Motorola and Nokia. Now, with the GTI capability, forces can have their choice of TETRA radio systems from other TETRA partners. What’s more, CORTEX continues to offer backwards capability meaning that any customer, particularly those with smaller control rooms who want to install CORTEX, will not need to replace their existing TETRA infrastructure, saving both time and money.