GE is excited to announce the addition of the MDS™ Orbit Edge-Connect Router (ECR) to the MDS Orbit portfolio of products. The MDS Orbit is a wireless communications networking platform designed with a common operating system, device management tools, and a comprehensive networking and cyber-security framework. These commonalities in the platform were built to significantly reduce the overall learning time for users, simplify the set-up and commissioning of communication networks, and enable the deployment of a variety of configurations and topologies.

The Orbit platform now offers a wide range of models with different radio, port density and technology combinations providing customers the flexibility to design solutions that best fits their unique application requirements.

MDS Orbit Edge-Connect Router (ECR)

The introduction of the MDS Orbit ECR extends the portfolio by providing a highly reliable, industrial wireless router in a smaller form factor that supports a single Wide Area Network (WAN) radio with an optional Wi-Fi.   Built on the same common attributes as the MDS Orbit platform, the MDS ECR provides customers several benefits by allowing them to: 

• Extend connectivity to assets utilizing a flexible range of radio technologies including cellular, licensed and unlicensed options covering global frequencies.
• Protect their communications network, devices, and users with comprehensive security to meet current and future requirements.
• Deploy in harsh operating environments, as the Orbit ECR is hardened to support extreme operating temperatures and extended mean-time-between-failures delivering uncompromised performance and reliability.

400MHz and 900MHz Licensed Narrowband Spectrum Coverage Now Available on the MDS Orbit Platform

GE is also extending the frequency availability on the MDS Orbit platform by offering both 400MHz and 900MHz licensed narrowband options. The MDS Orbit platform already supports the unlicensed 900MHz frequency today.

The new licensed narrowband support on the existing MDS Orbit MultiService-Connect Router (MCR)  and the new ECR provide customers with:

• Repurpose narrowband networks for new applications with up to 6 times increase in speed using QAM modulation.
• Improve overall network performance and throughput with bi-directional, per-remote adaptive modulation.
• Enable deterministic co-existence of multiple applications such as SCADA and VoIP with highly flexible Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities.

The MDS Orbit platform is covered under GE’s 5-year manufacturer’s warranty.