Etherstack Signs Agreement with Telstra for MCX IWF Trial
Sydney, Sep 11, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Etherstack Plc (
ASX:ESK) is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Telstra Limited (Telstra) for Telstra to trial and evaluate Etherstack's innovative Mission Critical (MCX) 3GPP standards compliant Interworking Function (MCX IWF). This technology bridges digital radio networks such as those used by state and federal public safety agencies and future "Mission Critical Push-To-Talk" (MCPTT) cellular services which are the type proposed to be deployed within Australia under the Australian Government's Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) initiative.
The creation of a national PSMB was supported in the Australian Government's May 2023 budget to drive delivery of a national PSMB capability, and follows similar government backed initiatives currently underway in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and multiple other markets across the EU, Middle East and the Americas.
Under this agreement, Etherstack will deploy the same MCX IWF technology to Telstra as it is currently supplying to the AT&T FirstNet(R) project (via its global teaming partner Samsung) which is the largest deployment of this emerging technology in the world.
Etherstack's Chief Executive Officer, David Deacon said: "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to trial our MCX IWF with Telstra at home in Australia. Our technology is being well received in multiple markets globally and it is great to have our technology being used in support of local public safety applications". He continued, "Etherstack has been at the forefront of standards-based public safety communications innovation for over 20 years. It is fantastic to see adoption of our world-class MCX IWF technology in multiple carriers across the globe".
The trial will initially last approximately 9 months. While the value of the trial contract is not financially material, the strategic importance evidencing multi market demand for Etherstack's standards-based 3GPP compliant MCX IWF technology with another major telecommunications company is very significant. The trial will contribute approximately AUD $320,000 in revenue to Etherstack's current financial year.
About Etherstack Plc
Etherstack (ASX:ESK) is the world's leading licensor of wireless technologies for the digital LMR industry and the Company develops wireless products for the main digital radio communications standards known as APCO P25, TETRA and DMR. Over the past 25 years, over twenty wireless equipment manufacturers have licensed LMR technologies from Etherstack for use in their products.
MCPTT over LTE is an emerging cellular standard that provides public safety grade PTT (Push-To-Talk) solutions within 4G and 5G cellular networks. Demand for MCPTT services and equipment by telecommunications carriers and end user agencies has been steadily growing in the past few years and is expected to rise rapidly over the next 36-48 months.
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