18 December 2009

EMS Sky Connect, which offers a range of satellite-based tracking and telephone systems for helicopter, fixed-wing, ground-based and marine applications, announced a new satellite-based tracking and voice system featuring Polycom wireless telephone solutions.

The Polycom KIRK wireless telephone systems are based on the digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT (News - Alert)) standard.

According to Iain Ronis, director of communications for EMS Sky Connect, a division of EMS Technologies, owners of cabin-class aircraft have high expectations in terms of quality and aesthetics.

Aircraft such as the Gulfstream G-IV jet can cost millions of dollars to outfit with custom interiors, and for that class of customer, expectations are high, Ronis added.

“Most commercially available handsets don’t have the quality, aesthetics or ease-of-use that our market requires,” said Ronis. “Then we tested the Polycom (News - Alert) KIRK handset, and that was it.”

Polycom’s KIRK 5020 handset ideal for Sky Connect’s wireless Fort product line, EMS Sky Connect said. Fort in-flight phone systems are designed for communications ranging from voice conversations to checking e-mail.

“There is an undeniable market need for an affordable and feature-rich flight phone,” said Ronis. “With the Polycom KIRK 5020 handset at its heart, the Fort system meets that need. The system lets passengers move around the cabin while still using the phone, and that adds an important level of convenience.”

The DECT-based KWS300 offers greater flexibility. With just one base station, the company can support up to four lines, reducing installation costs, said company officials.
The KIRK 5020 handset also stands out because of Polycom’s noise cancellation technology. According to Ronis, the sound footprint of an aircraft represents a lot of challenges. Even in a cabin-class aircraft that is quiet by most people’s standards, there is ambient noise. Polycom reduces this noise to minimum.

Polycom’s audio clarity is essential not just for those onboard. According to Ronis, most of the complaints about a noise over a phone connection tend to focus on what the person on the ground hears. “We’ve never had any complaints about audio quality of the Polycom handsets,” Ronis added. “These have been among the most reliable phones we’ve ever sold.”

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