Ascom launches world’s toughest DECT handset yet

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN: Ascom Wireless Solutions, a leading supplier of on-site wireless communications, has launched a new handset featuring market-leading levels of physical robustness and operating safety.

The handset, which will carry the name Ascom d81, has been created specifically to answer the demands of users who work in the most challenging physical environments and require superior levels of alarm protection. For example, heavy industry and petrochemical plants, prisons and psychiatric wards.

Product Manager Robert Hassel explains what drove development: “In recent years, we’ve seen an increasing demand for handsets that can be used in extremely tough environments. The Ascom d81 has been created specifically to deliver a longer working life in exactly these situations.”

Users will appreciate the fact that both the handset and headset connector are IP65 classified - classification that makes the Ascom d81 unique on the market. For workplaces with hazardous areas exposed to explosive gas and dust the Ascom d81 handset will be available in an intrinsically safe version certified according to IECEx, ATEX and CSA.

However, safety can be looked at from another perspective and the Ascom d81 has been designed to offer optimal user protection in a number of scenarios. Potentially, staff at prisons, psychiatric wards, hospitals, hotels and even retail outlets face physical danger on a daily basis and need equipment they can rely on. With this in mind, the Ascom d81 features advanced alarm functions like a man-down/no-movement alarm, silent assistance option and alarm prioritisation.

In other words, staff who might be considered as vulnerable can now work more freely and with more confidence, secure in the knowledge that if they need assistance, the new Ascom d81 won’t let them down.

Dennis Andersson, VP Sales at Ascom believes the new handset meets the demands of its target groups head-on: “Our customers indicated a desire to protect their employees to the highest possible standards while simultaneously enjoying more sophisticated functionality – we’re sure the Ascom d81 delivers this in the market’s toughest package.”

In addition to its robust and protective characteristics, the Ascom d81 is a part of the company’s IP-DECT system and integrates fully with their Centralised Management platform. This means that software updates and upgrades, contact information and much more can be managed over the air, meaning less administration time, smoother application of internal routines and ultimately, a leaner, more productive business.