Working in the Mobile Office

More than 300,000 Manitobans use cell phones

There is a whole new culture in society. Business done on the fly. People driving, or flying down the street, their heads down looking at their cell phone for messages, watching part of a video clip or checking on their schedule. It part of the wireless communications revolution.

Kelvin Shepherd, Chief Operating Officer, MTS Communications division and Chief Technology Officer, Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., says the there were about 30 MTS towers in 1988 when cell phones can to the province. Now there are 54 in Winnipeg alone and 98 through Manitoba.

That translates into about 300,000 cell phone users, according to Shepherd. That’s about 30 per cent of the population. Add to that about 100,000 customers on high speed Internet and there’s a lot of new ways to connect.

Rogers Communications doesn’t report its market penetration, according to Laura Kwiatkowski, general manager, at the Winnipeg office, but suffice it to say Rogers has its own chuck of the market to take the number substantially higher.

But the C-phone revolution is burgeoning with new services available all the time. But it doesn’t compare to Europe.

Shepherd says, “cell phone penetration in Scandinavia is about 60 per cent. The objective of domestic carriers there is to have a cell in everyone’s pocket, not one in every household. Canada is far behind.”

He says the next big growth opportunity for cell phone makers is China. The human voice could rock the world if everyone took a grocery list in the same minute.

And there is even cell phone commerce such as the downloading of new cell tone rings which Shepherd says will soon be an activity as popular as downloading songs.

He says the 15 to 20 year olds are the ones driving the business.

“They’ve grown up with the technology and it has become second nature in their communication habits. They can take photos and transmit them to their friends. And Shepherd predicted that in the future people will get a c-phone number and it will be theirs for life.

According to Shepherd, in a few years we’ll be able to watch ten minutes of a movie on a cell phone while we’re waiting for a plane. Already, the adult entertainment industry is gearing up for payper- view to the screen on the cell phone. It’s all abou freedom to move. Shepherd says the hand held computers like Blackberry give people a range of communication options. The costs of the devices are relatively low if used properly making them affordable if one considers the value of freedom and productivity.

“You can write five emails on the Blackberry while on the plane, while the wireless function is turned off, and send them all when you get to your destination,” according to Shepherd.

Business users were the early adopters of wireless technology. Now, the market penetration of cell phones is deep and mobile technology has added to it.

Laptop computers aided by ‘hot spots’ – wireless server stations to connect to the internet, are ushering society into a super era of wireless connectivity allowing people to work from anywhere.

People are even suggesting that with so much cell phone use residential landlines are being given the boot. Young people especially have created a whole new culture with cell phones, leaving the landlines on the shelf.

That says Shepherd is the reality of cell phone convenience.

“It’s the convenience of a cell phone and other wireless products which make them as popular as they are and will continue to drive the market, ” he says.

Laura Kwiatkowski, general manager for Rogers Wireless in Winnipeg, says overall revenue from wireless data was 7.0% in Q1, which is the largest percentage of revenue from data in industry.

Rogers Wireless is largest provider of Blackberry in Canada having had a long relationship with the Canadian manufacturer of the product, Research in Motion.

This revenue is made up from approximately 50-50 from consumer data – SMS, and navigate applications like ring tones, graphics and other downloads such as music – and business data: largely Blackberry, but also new devices like Treo 650 and AirCard and new vertical applications like parking meter and less-than-load shipping applications.

For business, technology has been a relief.

Take Real Estate as an example. Agents can access multiple listings on the line in their vehicle, prepare and send an offer all on their laptop in their car. Everyone from company presidents to electricians are more connected than ever.

Kwiatkowski says field workers installing, repairing, maintaining, inspecting and servicing equipment and products can receive and update work orders, ask for information, as well as access customer-related data and operational processes instantly.

“They use a variety of commercial or rugged devices, including handheld units, tablet PCs or laptops,” she says.

And sales executives who are mobile can access, collect, submit, manipulate and share business critical data in real-time (typically using a standard handheld device or a laptop). For example, a sales executive could access customer databases and inventory systems remotely in real-time.

AT&L (Asset Tracking & Logistics) – includes solutions that allow fixed and mobile assets to be monitored or tracked remotely. For example, dispatchers could track trucks in a fleet or operations personnel could monitor the status of remote equipment.

Jerret Hartley, head of the 11 member computer department at Winnipeg’s Advance Electronics, which carries a whole range of wire products, says business use of wireless technology drives communication and change in society.

“If one business adopts a new communications technology, then everyone must follow suit or be left behind. That drives the computer and communications culture,” he says. “The needs of businesses to constantly exchange information have led the computer revolution and cell phone industry. “

With so many options now available for those who work on the road, it would appear we don’t need the overhead of offices.

Bells and whistles are nice, but the main function of any mobile office equipment is to benefit the business in question.

Some businesses like to be seen as on the cutting edge’, but they adopt the technology for practical purposes, not just because it’s out there. But once they see what they can do, the business may gain prestige as a result.

Brad Poulos, President of Wireless Age Inc., of Toronto, which owns retail stores and also builds wireless infrastructure for Bell and Rogers.

Poulos says, “Cell phone technology and market penetration has out performed all predictions since the first Canadian wireless call was made on July 1, 1985. New products will become smaller, proliferate and will change Canadian culture creating business possibilities we haven’t thought of yet.”

Poulos, says there is significant upside for wireless in Canada.

“We lag behind many countries in our growth, Countries like Korea, Finland and Italy have 100 per cent saturation in cell subscribers and we’re seeing approximately growth rates of 12 per cent,” he says.

According to Poulos, who is on the board of the Canadian Wireless Communication Association income sector income is around $9 billion annually based on 15 million subscribers. The average revenue per user (ARPU) per month is $50.

Poulos predicts new revenues will come from a demand text and video through the phones, not talk.

“We spend about 6.5 hours per month talking on the phone and the time will come where talk tune reaches a maximum,” he predicts, “but cellular will used for more exciting things.”

Multimedia Services (MMS) will allow people to share messages and video clips between phones no matter what network they subscribe to.

“A subscriber can click a picture at a hockey game and send it to a buddy immediately over the phone. Cells are becoming an entertainment device,” he says.

According to Poulos, there will be a steep decline in landline phones. In Canada its is predicted that by 2008 there will be more wireless phone than landlines.

Such communication is creating a ‘virtual community’ Poulos says. “You might not all be in the same geographic area. Your friends who are calling can be anywhere because the technology does care.”

Poulos says his Blackberry allows him to have balance in his life. “I can go to my daughter’s track meet and still communicate with the office for the time that I’m away,” he says.

Canadian’s have been key in wireless innovations and are a couple of years ahead of the states, according to Poulos.

He says we’ll have text and video’s on the c-phone which will create an entertainment package.

Given the wide range of technologies for the mobile office we assess what’s available and how it works

B is for Bluetooth and Blackberry

Bluetooth is an international, open standard (i.e. non- proprietary) technology using radio links to replace cables as a method of connecting one device to another. It is best used in ranges up to 30 feet, and replaces the infrared ports found on devices such as computers and printers, which had to be within an uninterrupted line of sight to communicate. A bluetooth compatible cellphone, for example, can connect with a handsfree speaker/ microphone via radio waves, provided by a small transceiver that can clip to a \car’s sun visor. Compare this to the old method of clicking a cell phone into a base that was hardwired into a car’s electrical system at a cost of up to $500, and then plugging in a headset.

Bluetooth devices automatically detect other Bluetooth devices in their immediate vicinity whenever they are in “active” mode.

Blackberry is primarily a portable handheld email device with cell phone. It uses the cellular network (rather than the internet) to send/receive data. It comes complete and ready to go, as opposed to Palm Pilots that can be custom-loaded with vast software options. Blackberry will have its own email address, effectively becoming your email on the road. Email addresses don’t differentiate between mail received from a Blackberry or any other source. Your home or office can be configured to automatically forward copies of incoming email to the Blackberry. The office IT department can set up Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) software on the company main server to integrate with existing email system.

Benefits

– Uses a QWERTY keyboard for typing text

-Easiest way to send email on the go. Even in an airplane, compose away with the transmission feature off during flight, activate transmission as you disembark, and send.

– Supports instant text messaging, as opposed to sending a message to an inbox.

-”Push Technology” -currently unique to Blackberry- almost instantly “pushes” data through BES to the Blackberry unit. Emails arrive automatically, rather than you having to initiate to see what mail has arrived.

Minuses

Although you can browse the internet, the small viewing screen can be frustrating. Surfing is somewhat limited -web pages with complicated animation may not fully display. No integrated camera; More limited organizational features than PDAs, and no expandable storage capacity. Far fewer games and third-party optional software than PDAs

C is for Cellular Phone

Your phone on the road, continually becoming smaller, lighter, and loaded with more features. 10-15 new models annually. Features now include text messaging, downloadable ring tones, still and video cameras (send/receive pictures and motion clips), some organizational capacity (phonebook, address book etc.) speakerphones and games. Many can download and play MP3 music files.

Benefits

Small, light, communication

Upcoming features includes MP3 capacity to rival an iPod, and special Video reception (TV service, already in limited release in the USA by Rogers and Bell)

H is for Hotspot

A public place, such as a restaurant, equipped with DSL high- speed wireless internet capacity (a router, literally a black box with an antenna) so people can take their (wireless compatible) laptops and connect to the internet, usually for a perhour fee. Essentially a public internet access port without the need for individual stations. They are based on “WiFi” (wireless fidelity) broadband technology to access the internet. There are currently approximately 40 “hotspots” in Winnipeg. To find them go to Winnipeg hotspots on any internet search engine.

L is for Laptop

The largest, but most robust option. A compact full-featured computer with full-size screen and keyboard, that can connect to printers, scanners, etc. like any standard desktop, but runs on batteries. Connects to internet via cabling or wireless technology. Some laptops can use an “air card”, a small PCM/CIA card with small pop-up antenna inserted into a slot in the side to access the cellular network to transmit data rather than voice. A laptop can also be connected to a cell phone, via a USB cable, making the phone the computer’s ‘modem.’

Pluses

Largest capacity. Field service techs in an industry can carry many years’ worth of service manuals/photos with them at all times.

Minuses

Large size relative to other mobile office options.

P is for PDA, Palm and Pocket PC

PDAs -personal digital assistants, range from glorified electronic day timers to full-featured “integrated devices” or “smart phones” (Palmtop computers with cell phones). Described by our Advance Electronic techs as “Essentially a small computer, but still not a laptop”, true full featured PDAs such as Palm (former Palm Pilot), Treo and the Windows-proprietary “Pocket PC” have literally thousands of uses.

Manitoba’s Auditor General uses a Blackberry

PROS (depends on model)

-Expandable storage capacity from onboard 32/64 megs to up to 2 gigs (with expansion card)

-Customizable with an astounding number of software programs,

-Delivers full web-surfing experience (although small screens will annoy some). Internet access requires an Internet Service Provider account and a data enabled phone or modem.

-Can be “written” on with a stylus or features accessed via touch screen

-Keyboard for typing on some models

-Can upload/download to/from a desktop or laptop, or send documents to a printer

CONS

– Can’t download MP3s from internet, although MP3 files can be put on an expansion card and inserted into unit.

– Because PDAs use POP3 servers for their email capacity, they are somewhat less secure in transporting email than Blackberries, and sometimes will be rejected by the main office server firewall. Placing a POP3 server on the main computer for the PDAs in the field defeats security purpose. (To Laura Kwiatkowski, of Rogers; Jerret Hartley, Advance Electronics and Kelvin Shepherd of MTS for technical advice for this story.)

Jerret Bartley & Renee Mason from Advance Electronics

“If one business adopts a new communications technology, then everyone must follow suit or be left behind. That drives the computer and communications culture.”

Jerret Bartley, head of the computer department at Winnipeg’s Advance Electronics.

Copyright Manitoba Business Jun 2005