Fremont, CA – The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), Qatar’s independent communications regulator, has contracted TCI International, Inc., (TCI) to provide the technology, project management and training for its new turnkey spectrum monitoring system.
The contract, awarded on July 22, 2014 after a rigorous tender process, provides for the development of four fixed sites, including one hybrid station combining Angle of Arrival (AOA) and Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) geolocation capabilities. Development of two mobile stations, two 20 MHz to 6 GHz TDOA sensor sites in the Doha area and a control center are also part of this project. In addition, TCI will provide factory and on-site training, factory acceptance, implementation supervision, as well as spare parts and maintenance under the five-year contract.
Qatar’s new fixed sites, networked via leased lines, will employ the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)-compliant TCI Model 737 — the highest-performance member of TCI’s 700 series of spectrum monitoring systems. Equipped to detect signals from 9 kHz to 8 GHz, the Model 737’s digital processing provides an extensive selection of measurement bandwidths from 500 Hz to 40 MHz. This system will perform HFDF using TCI Model 632 array antennas at two sites and Watson-Watt antennas at the two other sites. Development will involve providing road access, site grading and preparation, installing 40-meter towers, generators, fencing, equipment cabinets, UPS, batteries and video surveillance.
The mobile component of Qatar’s system, networked via cellular links, will include two 4WD Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans equipped to address the frequency range of 9 kHz to 8 GHz. They will be complemented by handheld spectrum analyzers with portable antennas for monitoring from 800 MHz to 40 GHz.
The heart of Qatar’s system will be a control center with five TCI Scorpio™ workstations, a database storage server and network communications to remote and mobile stations. As at these stations, TCI will provide state-of-the-art signal analysis software to perform complex analytics on digitally modulated signals, as well as Scorpio Field Strength Mapping, Alarms and Realtime DF. The control center also will provide an interface to the LS telcom spectrum management system.
About TCI
TCI International, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of SPX Corporation. TCI provides spectrum monitoring, direction finding and signals intelligence solutions to civilian, government and military agencies, as well as antennas for communications and high-power radio broadcasting. TCI is headquartered in Fremont, California. For more information, visit www.tcibr.com.
About the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA)
The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) is the communications regulator in the state of Qatar established by virtue of Emiri Decree (42) in 2014. The CRA regulates the Telecommunications and Information Technology sector, postal services, access to digital media and spectrum. The CRA encourages and supports an open and competitive Information & Communications Technology (ICT) sector that provides advanced, innovative and reliable communications services. Balancing the rights of consumers with the needs of service providers is at the heart of everything the CRA does. For more information please visit www.cra.gov.qa.
