225-288MHz band for Asia & South America
Posted on December 01, 2013
Entel's rapid expansion into emerging global markets has been given yet another boost, by the addition of the 225-288 MHz bandwidth into its proven HX400 series of compact hand portables. Trials of sample radios have already resulted in pre-orders being placed by dealers servicing corporate customers in previously inaccessible or "difficult" markets including parts of Asia and South America.
Entel has an established and dependable radio in the HX400, which is already proving popular in new overseas markets as well as in mature markets like the domestic UK market. But the challenge was to gain a foothold in countries like Costa Rica, or Thailand, for example, where regulations and market requirements are quite specific. Steve Mulka, Entel's Global Product Manager comments "The decision to develop a 225-288 MHz variant positions the HX400 as a serious competitor among professional users in key emerging markets where this part of the VHF bandwidth is used. In addition, our development team's brief was to add DTMF, as market analysis in those countries showed this would be required to make significant in-roads among professional users."
The extra production capacity required to service these new markets and customer orders has been facilitated by the addition of Entel's latest manufacturing plant, recently commissioned in the Philippines. This state-of-the-art facility and distribution hub will also allow Entel to fulfill expanded market demand with much reduced lead times.
While the HX400 series' winning formula otherwise remains the same, offering a tiered system of portables in a compact IP55 cabinet encompassing the most basic through to advanced trunking models, these latest developments demonstrate how enterprising dealers can benefit from Entel's flexible approach to research and development, delivering products that are carefully matched to provide an edge in localised markets worldwide.
