The DECT Specifications

Abstract

The Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) specifications developed by ETSI Subtechnical Committee RES03 provide an air interface specification for cordless technology able to support a wide variety of services, DECT is essentially a common interface specifications; a subset of it, however, may serve as coexistence specification in those cases where no adequate profile exists. The DECT standardisation process began within ETSI in 1988 and still continues in 1996, as its power is recognised and new extensions and applications are developed. Many of the DECT specification documents have been approved and published by ETSI and have been available since 1992. By 1995 there were at least seven manufactures offering commercial DECT from all the application categories, with basic handset products, for example, in very high-volume manufacture. In this chapter we outline the structure and content of the DECT specification documents, describing various aspects of the operation of the DECT protocols, also pointing the reader to the relevant original sources for more specific information should this be needed.