New DMR Association Created to Drive Worldwide Growth of Digital Mobile Radio Market

LONDON -

- Leading manufacturers and suppliers join forces to develop and promote affordable, interoperable and innovative digital radio solutions

Several of the world’s leading device and network suppliers in digital radio services today announced the launch of the new DMR Association. Created by founding members of the DMR MOU Association which focused on helping establish the standard, this new organisation is designed to take DMR to the next level: encouraging interoperability and new product/service development to establish DMR as a preferred choice for professional users of conventional and trunked digital radio.

The DMR Association will concentrate on removing barriers to interoperability by establishing best practices for testing and validation of the DMR standard. The organisation will also focus heavily on creating and promoting a common industry view on DMR as well as a variety of services to grow the market for all companies in the value chain. This includes developing educational programs and tools like the DMR Association certification program to easily identify equipment meeting the DMR standard. In addition, the group will seek to work with other standards bodies to ensure wider recognition of DMR standard and encourage broader interoperability of new products and services.

“Our goal is to make DMR the most widely supported 21st century digital radio standard for business, and certified interoperability is the key to creating that demand,” said Mario Micheli (of SELEX Communications - a Finmeccaninca Company, Italy), DMR Association Chair. “The DMR Association is designed to promote growth by enabling open multi-vendor markets and healthy competition. This leads to lower long-term cost of ownership, a wide selection of products, as well as continuous product innovation - the most important features for current and future buyers.”

The DMR Association has already begun to establish its testing and validation benchmarks. Association members Motorola and SELEX Communications recently supplied fully interoperable DMR communications equipment for the security operations at the recent G8 Summit in Italy. Tom Mockridge (of Motorola, UK), the DMR Association Technical Chair states that “DMR testing will range from laboratory work to real-life field trials and deployments to ensure pre-certified equipment is put through its paces. DMR Association members and end-users will be able to rely on and trust our certification.”

In addition to equipment and system compliance, the Association has a marketing committee dedicated to demonstrating why DMR is the leading international value digital radio standard available today in professional markets.

“With digital radio emerging in the business world, there have been cases of mis-information,” said Margaret Grant (of Tait Radio Communications, New Zealand), DMR Association Marketing Chair. “The DMR Association is aiming to provide clear, up-to-date information, designed for international markets, allowing interested parties, including potential members to make an informed choice.”

One of the first marketing initiatives for the DMR Association is the launch today of the Association website at www.dmrassociation.org. The site will serve as the Association’s key materials repository and communications channel, featuring:

- technical materials, such as the upcoming Certification Guidelines, - news and information, such as press releases and upcoming events, and - email addresses to provide potential members and interested parties with an outlet to ask questions.

The DMR Association encourages interested potential members to contact them at www.dmrassociation.org to find out more about the benefits of becoming involved in the DMR Association community.

About DMR

DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) is a globally-available open digital radio standard for Professional Mobile Radio users, developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

About the DMR Association

The DMR Association is focused on making DMR the most widely supported 21st century digital radio standard for the business world. Through a combination of interoperability testing, certification, education, and awareness the Association seeks to ensure that business buyers of today’s digital radio technology gain ongoing value through the competition and choice derived from an open, multi-vendor value chain.

To expand the DMR market, companies supporting the DMR Association will work to stimulate the adoption of a variety of new and innovative products and services. The DMR Association includes members representing a broad cross-section of the industry, including some of the world’s leading device and network suppliers. Founding members of the DMR Association include CML Microcircuits, Funkwerk Koelleda, Fylde Micro, Icom, Kenwood, Motorola, SELEX Communications - a Finmeccaninca Company, Tait Radio Communications and Vertex Standard. For more information, contact the DMR Association at www.dmrassociation.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS Margaret Grant DMR Association Marketing Chair +64-3-3571562 margaret.grant@tait.co.nz Sharen Santoski DMR Association Marketing Committee +1-847-312-0806 Dtr748@motorola.com MEMBERSHIP CONTACT Mario Micheli DMR Association Chair +39-055-4381428 mario.micheli@selex-comms.com

Source: DMR Association

Media, Margaret Grant, DMR Association Marketing Chair, +64-3-3571562, margaret.grant at tait.co.nz, Sharen Santoski, DMR Association Marketing Committee, +1-847-312-0806, Dtr748 at motorola.com, or Membership, Mario Micheli, DMR Association Chair, +39-055-4381428, mario.micheli at selex-comms.com, all for DMR Association