JPS Communications Announces New Radio to SIP Interface.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Raytheon's JPS Communications, the industry leader in radio interoperability technology, announces its new Analog Radio Adapter, the ARA-1. Comparable to an analog telephone adapter (ATA), which allows a standard telephone to operate on a session initiation protocol (SIP) network; the ARA-1 provides the same functionality to a radio.

The new ARA-1 extends the coverage and capability of an existing SIP private branch exchange (PBX) by allowing the interface of land mobile radios (LMR) to the system. The radio connected via the ARA-1 is assigned a unique extension that can easily be dialed using any internet protocol (IP) phone, softphone, or other voice communications device associated with the SIP PBX. Any number of radios, SIP phones, or other audio devices in the network can be conferenced together by the SIP PBX. Since SIP is an open standard, a multitude of services are available including call logging, call recording and call forwarding. A SIP PBX can also enable video conferencing, document sharing and text messages between compatible devices.

The addition of radio interface capability using the ARA-1 not only brings existing radio networks into the SIP arena but also allows SIP-based communications to be extended into areas that are not serviced or cannot be reached using a SIP network. For example, an ARA-1 can be used with an LMR system to extend SIP communications into areas of rugged terrain, across bodies of water, or into tunnels.

The radio interface capability of the ARA is based on a broad suite of digital signal processor algorithms, hundreds of interface cables, and numerous problem-solving techniques that JPS has evolved over more than a decade as the originator and market leader in radio interoperability.

"The ARA-1 is a perfect marriage between land mobile radios and IP-based networks," states Mike Cox, vice president of engineering for JPS. "It combines a supremely capable radio interface to the standards-based open SIP protocol that is rapidly becoming the acknowledged pathway to the convergence of voice, data, and video."

SIP is a standards-based open protocol used to create, manage and terminate sessions in an IP based network. SIP enables the convergence of voice, data, and video, allowing equipment with varying media capabilities to be conferenced together.

JPS Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon, designs, manufactures and sells electronic hardware and software products that enhance the effectiveness of communications systems. JPS offers unsurpassed local, regional, state, and wide-area interoperability by directly connecting or networking any of the following: HF, UHF, VHF, 800 MHz, and P25 radios along with Nextel, satellite communication, cellular, WiFi and digital land line telephones.

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.