Motorola Launches the Lightest TETRA Handset Ever

July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola's attractively styled MTH500 was developed after extensive research amongst two-way radio customers in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Motorola's research looked closely at their requirements for two-way communications and revealed two distinct segments, each with very different requirements of a two-way radio. In addition to the familiar user base of front line officers who require rugged, traditional style radios, the research found that undercover and second-line officers want all the benefits of a two- way radio packaged in a small, discreet and light device.

Weighing 193g, the MTH500 is the lightest TETRA handset on the market, yet it has been subjected to Motorola's renowned stringent quality tests offering extreme robustness and proving it is built to perform in harsh environments.

Designed to emulate the sleek styling of a cellular phone, its look is deceiving. It has a 'seven in one' functionality -- including instantaneous group calls and one-to-one calls; phone calls; two-way text messaging. The MTH500 is also designed for easy connectivity to third party devices, which expand its capabilities even further. All this in a secure, encrypted handset that can also act as a speakerphone.

Motorola's TETRA subscriber portfolio already consists of the popular MTP700 radio designed for front-line users. The absence of the more obvious features of a two-way radio, such as large rotary knobs, long antennas and bright emergency buttons, make the MTH500 radio ideal for covert operations. Furthermore, the features of the MTH500 mirror those of the MTP700, allowing ease of use and transfer of handsets within a work team enabling an entire organization to stay in touch and allowing undercover personnel to keep in touch with their front-line colleagues using one communication system.

John McConnell, Director of Subscriber Radios at Motorola, commented, "The MTH500 is a real triumph of engineering. It combines the best of TETRA and cellular features thus providing the ultimate flexibility and functionality all in one handset. It has a common feature platform to its sister radios, the MTP and MTM700, which means an entire radio fleet can all benefit from the same enhancements and improvements each time a new feature set is launched. We are proud to say it adds real strength to our portfolio and will give our customers even more choice when selecting a radio to suit their unique requirements."

The research was conducted by Motorola and involved over 500 interviews. The research looked at the functionality and features public safety users require from communications technology.

The MTH500 provides seven in one functionality:

• It is a 2-way radio for 1 to 1 and group calls.
• It is a cellular or mobile phone.
• It is a 2-way text messenger.
• It is a data terminal.
• It is a data modem
• It can be used as a speakerphone
• It is a scrambler for secure communications.

For more information visit:
Motorola TETRA: http://www.motorola.com/tetra
TETRA MoU: http://www.tetramou.com/