Spescom DataVoice, a division of JSE-listed multi-national technology innovator, Spescom Limited, has been awarded the contract by Alcom Systems, to deliver, install and commission a centralised voice logging system to complement the City of Cape Town's digital European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) radio communications system. This system is utilised by the City's emergency and municipal services.
This is a national first in deploying the latest voice recording (VR) technology to support a network of call centres using telephone and TETRA radio communications technology.
Tommie Bosman, interim coordinator: Radio and Telecommunications of the City's Shared Services Directorate, explains the goals of the project: "The tender was awarded in May 2003. This is a further step in the city's drive to consolidate Cape Town's emergency services' systems. The city consisted of seven former administrations, each with their separate emergency services areas and communications systems, that are now rationalised into one area.
"To assist with this amalgamation, we have deployed a fully digital ETSI TETRA radio trunking system, using Motorola technology supplied by Alcom Systems. The Spescom DataVoice digital recording solution plays an integral role in enabling recording, playback and archiving of all communications within the emergency services and municipal services, whether by phone or radio."
"We have had a good relationship with Alcom Systems for many years," says Andrew Condon, commercial manager at Spescom DataVoice. "Our world-leading VR technology was a perfect fit for the demanding specifications of the City of Cape Town emergency services.
"Spescom DataVoice is a global, major player in the field of public safety services with a solid track record of successful solutions and the digital VR systems we offer are a perfect match for the advanced TETRA radio trunking being used. Locally, we have lengthy experience with such technology, having provided trunk radio recording for Transnet for over eight years and a similar system for the Western Cape South African Police Services for some six years."
"We have a partner in Spescom DataVoice that enables a best solution compatible with the latest radio trunking technology," says Noel Watermeyer, national sales manager of Alcom Systems. "The solution is flexible and adapted for future expansion, as well as meeting the highest current international standards. This is an ETSI TETRA radio trunking solution with complete recording of both radio and phone communications, full duplex functionality for radio and caller identification technology for phone.
"It fulfils the City of Cape Town's vision of combining the seven regions of the metropole into a single emergency services network."
"Apart from the advanced technical specifications, the real challenge was to meet the need for a cost-effective solution," says Spescom's Condon. "With our global experience in similar projects and the compatibility between our digital VR equipment and TETRA digital radio systems, Spescom DataVoice was able to meet the customer's needs in both technology and cost of ownership."
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Spescom is a multi-national technology innovator with direct operations in the US, UK and SA.
The group is publicly listed on the JSE Securities Exchange SA (Spescom Ltd), and on the NASDAQ OTCBB : ALTS.OB (Spescom Software Inc).
Spescom addresses the information and communications technology market providing both products and solutions to connect to the network economy, as well as enterprise software to manage information and knowledge.
Specifically, Spescom provides solutions in the areas of access network; enterprise information management; multimedia transaction recording; broadcast; customer contact centres; and test and measurement.
Spescom markets its products worldwide through appointed partners and distributors under the eB brand for its enterprise software, and the DataVoice brand for its multimedia transaction recording solutions.
Spescom's global customer base consists of multi-national organisations including leading enterprises in the utilities, telecommunications, transportation, financial, banking and insurance sectors.
Worldwide, customers include Siemens, British Telecoms, Network Rail (formerly Railtrack), Lloyds of London, Barclays Bank, Abbey National Bank, WH Smith, Caterpillar, Bechtel, AmerenUE, Entergy, Bombardier, Ocean Energy, Sempra Energy, Telkom, SABC, Old Mutual, Eskom, Transnet, First National Bank.
For more information on Spescom, please visit www.spescomsoftware.com and www.spescom.com
Spescom DataVoice
Spescom DataVoice, a subsidiary of Spescom Limited, is dedicated to the development and global marketing of its DataVoice products in the area of capture, management and recreation of live data.
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