As a product manager, my role is really to bring together the customer needs, engineering capability and industrial design to deliver a product that addresses unresolved customer pain points. The best way to do this is co-development, working hand-in-hand with your customers. The new ST7000 Small TETRA radio is a perfect example of this philosophy in action, co-developed with customers in the airport industry to meet their need for a small, discreet and sophisticated TETRA radio.

We have a lot of airport customers who are interested in TETRA technology because of the system capacity and interoperability it provides with public safety. We know from working with them that airport workers generally have a mixed fleet of radios depending on their needs for a rugged, hard-wearing or intrinsically safe ATEX device. However, there was a group of workers who had a need that was going unmet; customer-facing employees. A smaller, sleeker and stylish device that would complement smart uniforms became the impetus for the co-development of the ST7000 Small TETRA Radio.

Spending a lot of time with key customers, we assessed daily routines, jobs they performed and key pain points and 4 areas stood out:-

1. DISCREET STYLE; small and elegant
It was immediately obvious that most current radios were just too big and bulky for these passenger-facing representatives to use properly. Weighing them down and an obstacle that obscured their face when they picked up the radio to talk it was important that this new radio should not come between them and their passengers.

Another complaint was in regard to the size of the antenna, and that it can dig in or catch on clothing. A smaller, but noticeable antenna was requested in order to distinguish from a smartphone and maintain a professional appearance. By achieving this users would have a device that would look modern and stylish to match their smart uniform.

2. EASY TO USE; simple controls
Simplicity was a major requirement. Users would need to be able to pick up the radio and use without extensive training. Training costs were a big issue for our airport customers; traditional radios are complex, and as such, training was time consuming. As a result the ST7000 radio was designed to be as simple and easy-to-use as possible. We added an innovative 4-button touch user interface display which is both intuitive to use, and addresses the fact that these customers did not need a traditional, full radio keypad.

3. MAXIMUM ACCESSORY COMPATIBILITY; flexible connectivity
Flexibility was also key to these customers; they wanted to have a wide range of accessories options available for use. As such, we equipped the ST7000 with Bluetooth® wireless technology for use with wireless accessories, and added a 3.5mm audio jack that enables use of the radio with consumer off-the-shelf accessories (COTS). The additional inclusions of a reversible micro USB-C connector also enabled them to charge the device from any USB outlet, providing maximum flexibility when charging as well.

4. UNCOMPROMISING AUDIO QUALITY; loud and clear audio
Whilst design and ease of use were essential the core tenet of good radio design, loud and clear audio was never to be compromised. The ST7000's low distortion, loud audio and 1.8W transmission power ensures users can hear and be heard even against the loud and unforgiving background noise of an airport.

THE ST7000 DELIVERS UNCOMPROMISING AUDIO QUALITY AND COVERAGE IN A SMALL ELEGANT AND DISCREET FORM FACTOR

The end result of this co-development and close collaboration with our customers - those that will be using the ST7000 everyday - is a small, discreet and sophisticated radio that doesn't compromise on audio capabilities.

To discover more about the ST7000 TETRA Radio visit our website.

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