Frequently Asked Questions

MOTOTRBO is the first digital two-way radio system from Motorola specifically designed to meet the

requirements of organizations/industries outside the public safety sector mainstream that require a customizable

business-critical communication solution using licensed radio spectrum. MOTOTRBO is a complete

two-way radio system that includes portable and mobile radios, a repeater, accessories as well as powerful

data applications, such as Text Messaging Services and Location Services.

MOTOTRBO provides a complete dual mode (analog and digital) system including repeater, mobile and

portable units, data applications, and accessories making it easy and affordable for large organizations/businesses

to customize a MOTOTRBO solution to meet specific needs and migrate to digital at their own pace.

MOTOTRBO combines exceptional two-way radio functionality with digital technology to deliver increased

capability and spectral efficiency, integrated data applications and enhanced voice communications. In the

ongoing effort to improve workforce productivity and operational effectiveness, organizations need to communicate

with and provide information to employees anywhere on 24/7 basis-easily and cost effectively. This

is especially important for organizations or enterprises whose workers are mobile—moving about a geographic

area to accomplish their jobs.

Offering advantages such as a lower total cost of ownership, customizable coverage and features, and a

simple and reliable implementation makes analog two-way radios the clear choice for the vast majority of

large organizations/enterprises with highly mobile workforces. However, this technology has reached the

limits of its innovative life. Analog two-way radio has limited battery life, degrading voice quality near at

the edge of coverage, and lacks integrated data applications. Additionally, as analog radio users reach their

licensed spectrum capacity, crowding the interference occurs. These users can easily justify migrating to the

digital technology of MOTOTRBO because they need clear, unbroken, reliable communications. A missed

call, user error, garbled message or a dead battery can mean lowered productivity, wasted time and money,

unsatisfied customers, interruptions to essential services, or lost business.

Motorola made an investment in the MOTOTRBO technology platform in order to bring integrated applications

and advanced functionality to the large organization/enterprise two-way radio market. MOTOTRBO was

developed to be offered at a competitive price-point compared to existing analog two-way radio solutions.

As a result, we believe that MOTOTRBO provides such increased functionality and operational efficiency that

end-users will want to move to digital platforms faster.

MOTOTRBO is designed to the globally-recognized European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

Digital Mobile Radio (DMR-Digital Mobile Radio) tier two standard for large organization/enterprise mobile

radio. This provides an open platform that enables market acceptance and multi-vendor interoperability for

voice and IP data and will assure competitive pricing while protecting customer investment.

Frequency-Division Multiple-Access (FDMA) splits the channel frequency itself into two smaller sub-channels

that can carry separate calls side-by-side. By comparison, Time-Division Multiple-Access (TDMA) preserves

the full channel width, but divides it into alternating time slots that can each carry an individual call. Motorola

maintains that two-slot 12.5 kHz TDMA-based systems, providing 6.25 kHz equivalency, are the better choice

for most large organization/enterprise radio users.

Wireless standards based on TDMA technology are already widely used around the world, and future

requirements for even greater spectral efficiency also are expected to be based on TDMA.

TDMA technology for narrowband 12.5 KHz (6.25 equivalent-6.25e) organization/business radio users, provides

advantages of feature flexibility, lower equipment costs, longer battery life, future-readiness, and the

proven ability to increase spectral efficiency without risking increased congestion or interference.

Motorola does offer FDMA-standards based two-way radio systems for large public safety and government

communications networks that require dedicated channels.

No. The P25 protocol (TIA Project 25 standard) was adopted for public safety sector use and currently

uses 12.5 KHz FDMA technology. MOTOTRBO supports the ETSI Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) standard

for large organization/enterprise two-way radio customers and uses 12.5 KHz (6.25 equivalent-6.25e)

TDMA technology.

Motorola spent a significant amount of time developing MOTOTRBO, working with customers, distribution

channels and the various businesses/organizations to research respective communications requirements.

The research revealed that the various organizations/enterprises want or require spectral efficiency, better

basic as well as enhanced features, integrated applications to improve operational efficiency, and a comfortable

migration path from analog to digital.

No. Motorola offers an expansive portfolio of two-way communications solutions for a variety of customer

segments. We are committed to providing the right technology to address specific customer needs and

uses. Motorola will provide analog solutions as long as there are business segments that benefit from them

and as long as market drivers and regulatory requirements permit.

Public (government) administration, public works, manufacturing facilities, transportation companies, small

campuses such as resorts and schools, construction sites,and energy/utility companies, as well as small,

municipal public safety organizations.

MOTOTRBO delivers improved spectrum efficiency compared to analog radios and alternative digital offerings,

by doubling channel capacity, supporting more users, and enabling more information to be transmitted

on existing frequencies. MOTOTRBO’s spectrum efficiency doubles the number of users large organizations/

businesses can support on a single licensed 12.5 kHz channel. Digital two-way radio solutions based

on Time-Division Multiple-Access (TDMA) technology enable two virtual channels within a single 12.5 kHz

licensed repeater channel. This provides twice the calling capacity for the price of one license and enables

more information to be transmitted on existing frequencies. And because there’s only one “real channel”, a

second call doesn’t require a second repeater.

Due to its functionality and platform design, we anticipate that MOTOTRBO will meet the average lifespan

for existing large organization/enterprise two-way radio systems, which is approximately five to seven years.

Yes. Take, for example, MOTOTRBO Location Services. MOTOTRBO’s GPS location tracking provides the

ability to track people and assets, such as vehicles. This advanced approach uses a GPS client and receiver

integrated within both the portable and mobile radios, plus MOTOTRBO Location Services computer software.

The GPS-equipped portable and mobile units can be configured to transmit their geographical coordinates

at pre-programmed intervals on demand and in an emergency. The MOTOTRBO Location Services

computer software provides dispatchers with real-time display of fleet activity on a high resolution, colorcoded

map.

Yes. MOTOTRBO’s advanced applications include rapid unit-to-unit and unit-to-group text messaging between

radios, between radios and dispatch systems, between radios and IP addressable devices, and to

remote PC clients attached to radios. When used on their own, MOTOTRBO portable and mobile units also

support built-in capabilities for free-form and canned text messaging between radio users and talk groups.

The MOTOTRBO computer software application adds a PC-based, client/server software application for

dispatch-oriented messaging to the system, which extends the capabilities of messaging to include communications

between radios and dispatcher PCs. Further, the dispatcher PC can act as a gateway to email,

enabling messaging between email-addressable devices and radios.

MOTOTRBO broadens Motorola’s history of delivering communication innovations that leverage standardsbased

technology to better serve our customers. Motorola has been a leader in digital two-way radio

communications for more than two decades, including launches of ASTRO® 25 (compliant to TIA Project

25 standard) and Dimetra IP (compliant to ETSI TETRA standard), the industry’s first mission-critical digital

two-way radio systems for large public safety organizations. Motorola’s first P25 system was launched in

1996. In 2005, Motorola launched the DTR Series of on-site digital two-way radios for retail businesses to

address their requirements communications that enhance productivity, but in some countries do not require

licensed spectrum.

No. MOTOTRBO does not replace any of our current offerings. Instead, the system augments Motorola’s

current digital portfolio: With the introduction of MOTOTRBO for the organizations/enterprises already identified,

Motorola now has one of the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios of digital radio solutions.