A new VoWiFi communications system specially designed for use in hospitals and healthcare establishments was launched by Ascom Wireless Solutions at HIMSS06 last month in San Diego. The system uses the IEEE 802.11(b/g) standard, VoIP technology and wireless VoIP handsets to provide complete staff mobility at a low cost, while ensuring high levels of reliability and security. The system offers an integrated personal alarm function; alert messaging, paging and voice telephony with access to a wide range of sophisticated communications services. The system also integrates easily and with existing voice and data networks in the hospital and can interconnect with public networks.

Other features of the system include the Ascom i75 wireless VoWiFi handset, Ascom’s Portable Device Manager and Integrated Messaging Server as well as the Ascom VoIP Gateway/Gatekeeper. These can be combined with third-party equipment such as WLAN access points, wireless switches and PBXs or IP-PBXs, the company said.

Ascom also officially launched its complete UNITE Messaging Suite to North America at the conference. The suite is a messaging platform designed for mission critical communication with dedicated Linux-based applications on embedded modular servers. These embedded servers provide a superior mean time between failure (MTBF) rate which is a major improvement over current messaging servers and operating systems, according to the company.

The UNITE Messaging Suite also allows external disparate systems a reliable means to create customized applications. UNITE software applications can be tightly integrated with multiple enterprise systems to send automated text messages and alerts from these systems directly to mobile workers’ handheld devices.