INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: DTech Labs
Mike Smith
Senior Vice President, Strategic Management
DTech Labs
DTech Labs is a small business headquartered in a cleared facility in Sterling, Va. Mike Smith, who joined DTech Labs in January, and has been providing wireless voice, data and video solutions to the military since 1988 in government sales positions at Bell Atlantic Mobile, COMSAT Mobile Communications, Iridium North America and, most recently, as director of government services at Stratos Mobile Networks.
Q: What brought you together with DTech Labs?
A: I had the opportunity to work with DTech Labs on several programs in the past and was always impressed with the company’s true understanding of the customer’s requirements, along with the advanced engineering, design, production, testing, delivery and support capabilities. DTech Labs has always specialized in “first in” communications, as well providing solutions that extend a customer’s network and full capabilities to any location. As more customers and programs are requesting true end-to-end solutions and capabilities, this is an opportunity for me to gain experience in design, integration and support services—but more importantly, to provide the military with advanced solutions for secure voice, data and video as the Department of Defense converges all of these under an “everything over IP” network architecture.
Q: What unique benefits does DTech Labs have to offer to the military?
A: DTech Labs has three distinct areas of focus for our business: intelligent IP solutions, secure tactical systems and power management. DTech Labs’ intelligent IP solutions include emerging hardware and software applications and the WHISPER line of products for converged voice, secure voice, VoIP, data and video. Our secure tactical systems offer single-case flyaway products with commercial hardware and software along with encryption for satellite, land mobile radio and cellular operations, and we currently provide solutions for executive/VIP travel, tactical, logistics and continuity of operations customers. DTech Labs is the leading provider of remote power solutions for any transportable communication, computing or encryption device. Our reliable power systems are either stand-alone or included in the intelligent IP and secure tactical systems flyaway solutions.
For example, our solutions include the MST-50, which includes an Iridium handset and a General Dynamics Sectera BDI terminal, along with battery power for both units. This is the first solution to provide for both Type 1 secure voice and data through the Iridium network for government customers from any location in the world. The ONYX1200 solution includes an integrated iDirect modem, WHISPER900, and a Cisco mobile access router, along with full wireless options. It is integrated into a transport case sized to fit in an airline overhead-storage compartment, for true “anything in-anything out” connectivity with alternate path routing for military applications.
Q: Where do you see your work with the military going forward?
A: DTech Labs will continue to provide the traditional power management solutions as well as integrated flyaway solutions for wireless and terrestrial connectivity supporting military and government applications. Moving forward, the company will focus on intelligent IP solutions for the military, of which a good example is the WHISPER product line.
The WHISPER900 and WHISPER400 units are compact VoIP appliances based on N.E.T.’s Shout technology, which many government and military customers as well as larger programs have already adopted for converged voice and data IP networks. Both units employ BestFlow Signaling Protocol, a unique frame packing software that transports up to a total of 160 of any type of voice, VoIP, secure voice, fax or data modem call into the payload of a single UDP IP packet over satellite or terrestrial links via Layer 3 IP routing. The Secure Call Relay feature ensures that STU-III, STE and FNBDT/SCIP calls are transported reliably and up to 10 seconds of delay are supported. This is especially important in shared IP networks and on high latency single or multiple satellite links.
The result is very efficient and reliable secure voice transmission that provides more available bandwidth for data and video applications. The WHISPER900 is compatible with T-1/E-1 networks, INMARSAT GAN and BGAN, or any IP link including Ku band satellite applications. The WHISPER400 is a hand-carry IP-only version with four voice ports and two LAN ports and is perfectly suited for INMARSAT BGAN applications. Both units are available now, and as DTech Labs manufactures the equipment, either unit can easily integrated either into an existing suite of equipment or into the satellite terminal itself today.
As a total end-to-end solution for military customers under the DITCO INMARSAT contract, DTech Labs worked closely with Stratos in the implementation of the SecureComms VoIP Service to support the WHISPER products. The Stratos SecureComms VoIP Service provides a perfect solution to support missions for simultaneous voice and data without the integration time or expense at the headquarters location. There in no additional set-up or airtime charges for up to four voice calls as well as StratosNet Internet data, which many military customers already employ.
DTech Labs is prepared to engineer, design, produce, test, deliver and fully support any end-to-end military application going forward. ♦
