Grayson Wireless enhancing Geometrix Wireless Location System with E911 solution for GSM Wireless Carriers

RESTON, VA - Grayson Wireless, a division of Allen Telecom Inc., announced that the company's Geometrix wireless location systems group is in the process of developing an E911 caller location solution for GSM, in addition to the CDMA, TDMA, AMPS and iDEN wireless air interfaces already available.

The development schedule for the Geometrix GSM solution targets availability for deployment in the second quarter of 2001. The addition of a GSM wireless air interface to the existing systems would allow GSM carriers to meet the FCC's E911 Phase II implementation schedule. The GSM solution is expected to be available in new Geometrix systems as well as for existing systems as a software download without additional hardware.

"With the addition of a GSM air interface, Geometrix would become the only network based wireless location system compatible with all air interfaces utilized by the commercial carriers in the United States," said Tom Gravely, Grayson Wireless' Vice President of Engineering. As a result, Gravely noted, Geometrix could offer the following benefits:

• The Geometrix system could support any and all combinations of wireless air interfaces in all frequency ranges used by cellular and PCS carriers. Common system modules would be able to provide flexibility with no duplication of equipment.
  
• In addition to satisfying the FCC's E911 Phase II requirements, carriers implementing Geometrix would have the system performance necessary to offer location-sensitive value-added services.
  
• Carriers that implement the Geometrix system will not have to convert or replace any customer handsets in order to satisfy Phase II requirements.

Although GSM is the standard in Europe and widely deployed internationally, its role in the United States has been relatively minor until recent carrier announcements indicated that its use here could accelerate dramatically.

Grayson Wireless' development and marketing of an existing GSM test and measurement equipment line has contributed significantly to the company's expectations on the timing for delivery of a GSM wireless location solution.

Allen Telecom's Grayson Wireless division designs, manufactures and markets the Geometrix system, a state-of-the-art, scalable, cost-effective, network overlay solution intended to allow carriers to meet the FCC's stringent requirements for wireless E911 caller location. Geometrix currently supports the vast majority of wireless phones in use in the United States. Geometrix can also provide caller-locating support for a wide variety of location-based value-added services.

Source: Grayson Wireless