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DECT Meets Its Match with Cat-IQ

It has been quite a while since the world first heard of cordless phones equipped with Wi Fi and headsets operating with Bluetooth  capabilities. It has even been longer since the last time when DECT phones were touted as the BIG THING in cordless phone land. And with the emergence of another mobile telephone technology, consumers who constantly wish for the new and the exceptional will find that devices equipped with Cat-IQ fit the bill to a tee.

Marketed as a speedier version of DECT technology capable of providing higher clarity in voice calls, the Cat-IQ is certainly an emerging wonder in the consumer electronics industry. As a feature, DECT technology has always been recognized for its talents in ensuring that cordless phones operate without mishap, that communications run smooth and that interference problems are few, if not actually non-existent.

But Cat-IQ promises to deliver better than DECT. By autumn of this year, cordless phones using Cat-IQ instead of DECT will start appearing in a number of markets. While better voice quality is in the spotlight, new features in the telephones are bound to gain favorable consumer interest in the same breath.

While both technologies are certainly commendable, the edge that the Cordless Advanced Technology—Internet and Quality or Cat-IQ holds over its predecessor is the fact that in Europe, it can function well along 1.9GHz. This affords consumers with a compelling alternative to the already crowded 2.4GHz band utilized by Wi Fi as well as Bluetooth digital devices.

European electronics manufacturers have already realised the potential that Cat-IQ can offer. Thus, if a cordless phone uses Cat-IQ rather than DECT, the data rate increases ten times the usual rate, to 380Kbits/second. Yes, it’s slow if one considers it by Wi Fi standards. However, for a few voice calls, it is certainly good enough.

Even Siemens, global leader in cordless phone manufacture, has announced its plans to launch cordless phones equipped with Cat-IQ in the market. “The voice quality is brilliant,” John Smith, head of UK operations for Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices (SHC), says. The company intends to start marketing a Cat-IQ gateway as well as phone. The cordless phone is designed to enable switching between IP and standard calls.