DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications system) is now an approved standard in over 30 countries in Europe and Asia. Further countries are currently considering assigning the necessary frequencies and North American variants are in the process of being approved making DECT a truly global standard.
DECT offers significant benefits compared to existing cordless technologies:
ΓÇó Dynamic channel assignment: a DECT phone constantly scans 120 channels to choose the best for communication.
ΓÇó Innovative communication possibilities: calls can be made between handsets and outside calls transferred to another handset.
ΓÇó Digital voice quality: eliminates the interference experienced in analog.
ΓÇó Digital encryption: preserves the security of conversations.
ΓÇó Authentication procedures: each subscribed handset is assigned an identity which is checked each time it communicates with.
ΓÇó Multi-cell operation: provides such facilities as PABX cordless. building coverage public access services (Telepoint) and wireless local loop services as well as interoperation with ISDN and GSM.
ΓÇó Handset and base station compatibility: allows interoperability between products from different manufacturers; will become a reality during 1996 with confirmation of the DECT GAP standard.
Other cordless technologies
CTO - First generation cordless phones used a limited number of frequencies to provide full two-way analogue speech with the base station. Due to limited number of channels speech quality and indoor range are variable.
CT Enhanced systems operating at higher frequencies lead to Europe-wide CTl and CTI+standards offering a much larger number of channels (40 or 80). These, however are also based on analogue technology and can suffer from all the associated transmission and speech clarity shortcomings.
CT2 A further enhanced system with digital speech path and full duplex (two-way) working. However, this standard has failed to obtain European Commission approval and in the face of the new DECT standard is unlikely to survive.
