mdm5 98-03-01 18.53 sida 3 mobile dataevo takes your lan on the road [14 ]mobile data •m a g a z i...
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EVO takes your LANon the road [14]
mobile data• M A G A Z I N E •
All included withMobileLogic [17]
Parking worries solved in Australia [10] • Wireless intranet im-proves field service [12 ] • When timing meets opportunity [20]
2/98
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2 mobile data magazine
P O S TA L A D D R E S S
Ericsson Mobile Data Design ABS:t Sigfridsgatan 89S-412 66 GöteborgSweden
E- M A I L
I N T E R N E T
http://www.ericsson.se/mobitex
P U B L I S H E R
Gunilla RydbergTel: +46 31 703 64 33E-mail:[email protected]
E D I T O R S
Ingrid WallgrenTel: +46 31 703 64 40E-mail: [email protected]
Henrik KoolTel: +46 31 703 63 72E-mail:[email protected]
C O N T R I B U T O R S
Alan Sheats & Eva Jonsson Wallin
E D I T O R I A L C O N S U LTA N T
Bugli Company AB
L AYO U T
Henrik Kool
P R I N T E D B Y
Palmeblads AB,Gothenburg, Sweden
P R E P R E S S
CITAT AB, Gothenburg
Mobile Data Magazine ispublished under Swedishpress law by Ericsson MobileData Design AB in cooperationwith The Bugli Company.
The opinions expressed inMobile Data Magazine are notnecessarily those of EricssonMobile Data Design AB.
Mobile Data Magazine is distributed to the internationaltelecommunications communityin more than 100 countries.
contents: no.2 1998Publisher’s note.Wirelessly extending the network - The themeof this issue is the wireless office and remoteaccess to the office LAN. This is a very dynamicand exciting market segment, with many playerscontributing to raising the activity level.
Mobile data news.Record at RAM • Mobicom in Turkey on the rise •Wireless access to SAP R/3 • Safer buses inParis • SunMail out of the shade.
Parking worries solved in Australia:Two Australian councils in the Sydney area areusing wireless data technology to improve serv-ice to realising substantial cost benefits.Telemetry is one of the application areas onwhich United Wireless is currently focusing.
Wireless Intranet at Honeywell:Industry giant improves customer responsive-ness and enhances productivity by wirelesslymoving information to the field. Mobitex andwireless intranet access provided importantcomponents of the solution.
EVO takes your LAN on the road:Ericsson´s Virtual Office software provides thefoundation for a new generation of wirelesslyenabled, messaging based workgroup applica-tions.
Everything included with MobileLogicFinancial analysts know a good investmentwhen they see one. It is hardly surprising then
that several major investment firms have decidedto outsource their wireless data networks opera-tions to WTI.
When timing meets opportunityIn conjunction with MOA´s Executive Committeemeeting held in Gothenburg, Sweden on January19 to 21, 1997, Mobile Data Magazine talked tonewly elected Chairman David Neale and newlyappointed Executive Director Jack Barse.Judging from their optimism and enthusiasm,1998 is going to be a great year for Mobitex.
Wanda WaveI pondered the meaning of “pure virtual”. Myprogrammer friends had explained to me that itreferred to a function that was declared butnever defined in class…
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of mobileData magazine is atask I approach withsome anxiety. Likean artist followingup a hit record, thereis nothing like successto put fear into theheart of a publisher.
Your glowing comments on ournew magazine have been trulyheart-warming. Of course, we havemade every effort to make MobileData Magazine a valuable source ofinspiration and information in yourwork. So far, your response indi-cates that we are succeeding. Wehope that this issue continues tomeet your high expectations.
The theme for this issue is thewireless office and remote access tothe office LAN. This is a verydynamic and exciting market seg-ment, with many players contribut-ing to raising the activity level.Among the many products on themarket, we have tried to focus onthe newest and most important,even if this has meant excludingsome established products.
We are particularly excited aboutEVO, Ericsson’s Virtual Office soft-ware. Of course, we are proudbecause this is an Ericsson product.More importantly, however, webelieve that EVO represents a new
level of sophistication in wirelessdata middleware. Anywhere/any-time access to the office LAN as afull network member providescapabilities that are simply notpresent in less sophisticated mobileoffice or wireless e-mail solutions.
Wireless Telecom Inc. is one ofthe true innovators in the wirelessdata industry. The company’sMobileLogic Network Servicesoffer an outsourcing solution forcompanies wanting to introducewireless data technology in theirbusiness. With MobileLogic evensmall and medium-sized companiesare able to test drive the latest tech-nology and introduce wireless datainto their operations in a cost-effec-tive manner.
The success of WTI’s Mobile-Logic Network Service carries someimportant insights for the Mobitexcommunity. Mobitex operatorshave long been aware of the impor-tance of alliances and businesspartnerships with suppliers and sys-tems integrators in delivering thesolutions that customers need.MobileLogic takes this approachone step further by offering a turn-key solution with everything in asingle package. Perhaps it is not anappropriate model in your market,but the issues it addresses can onlybe ignored at your own risk.
In another article from the U.S.
market, we present a sales and fieldforce automation solution devel-oped for Honeywell’s service busi-ness. This application uses the latestInternet technology and RAMMobile Data’s Mobitex network toallow service technicians to accessvast amounts of product informa-tion from the field.
In this issue of Mobile DataMagazine, we take great pleasure inintroducing David Neale, the newchairman of the Mobitex OperatorsAssociation (MOA). Of course,David is no stranger to industryveterans, but the vision he presentsfor the future of Mobitex is brandnew. As an organisation, MOA hasnever been stronger, and Mobitex’prospects have never been better.
As usual, we have a news sectionfilled with the latest Mobitex devel-opments and several longer articlesfrom the market. Many of theseitems were submitted by our read-ers. We welcome your contribu-tions, suggestions and comments,and we thank you for helping us tocontinue to improve Mobile DataMagazine. ■
P U B L I S H E R S N O T E
mobile data magazine 3
Wirelessly extending the network
Gunilla Rydberg
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mobile data news■ One of the latest developments
in the mobile data arena is wire-
less access to SAP R/3 using the Mobitex
network. Currently available through RAM
Mobile Data in the Netherlands, the solu-
tion enables information to be retrieved
from a corporate SAP R/3 system any-
where, anytime.
There are three different approaches
to a wireless SAP R/3 solution, depending
on the needs of the customer:} Through a Web browser, by using a
wireless link to the SAP R/3 Web inter-
face, which is the front end for the R/3
server.} Based on a TCP/IP gateway, which
creates a wireless link directly to the
R/3 server.} Using a certified SAP R/3 connection
with a dedicated server especially tuned
for efficient communication with the R/3
server.
A solution based on the certified SAP
R/3 connection will soon be imple-
mented at EDON, a Dutch utility com-
pany. This will enable dispatch mes-
sages to be sent out directly via the R/3
service module to 250 field service
engineers, all equipped with mobile ter-
minals. Two companies, Information
Builders and Hi-Spex Engineering, have
developed and implemented the solu-
tion.
Several of the SAP R/3 modules are
highly suitable for wireless access.
Most obvious is the maintenance and
service organisation module, which
allows mobile users to immediately deal
with administrative tasks while at the
customer’s site. Sales representatives
can be given direct access to customer
records, stock levels and article infor-
mation. New orders can also be placed
directly into the central manufacturing
system, generating a more immediate
response. Orders are thus processed
faster and the products delivered earli-
er.
Mobile data communication can be a
useful extension of SAP R/3 functionality.
The potential market for the application
is considerable, taking into account the
large number of companies using R/3
worldwide.
For more information:
Henrik-Jan Bekedam,
RAM Mobile Data Netherlands
Tel: +31 30 239 0318
Wireless access to SAP R/3
4 mobile data magazine
Service engineers can begiven direct access to stocklevels and article information.
▲
SAPR/3
SERVER
SERVICE ENGINEER
OUTERWEBGATEWAY
LAN
Fault reports through anInternet connection directly tothe SAP server.
▲
The communications centre of the serviceorganization
▲
CUSTOMER
SERVICE ORG.
INTERNET
▼ The full service Intranet/Internet concept
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■ As part of its ongoing commit-
ment to business partners, RAM
Mobile Data in the U.K. asked PA
Consulting, Europe’s largest manage-
ment and technical consultancy, to
establish independent, quantified data
on the differences between the Mobitex
network and GSM networks. PA Con-
sulting has conducted independent
technical evaluations on issues that
affect end-users and published a white
paper on its findings.
The competitive tests involved several
parties. Three X Communications devel-
oped the original application based on
their proven software. RCC Consultants
Limited carried out the mobile field trials
and PA Consulting Group audited the tri-
als to ensure that none of the networks
under consideration had an unfair advan-
tage in addition to preparing the report.
Given that there are several competing
services and that none is “best” in all cir-
cumstances, the tests attempted to
define the situations in which Mobitex
provides the best service.
From a user perspective, a number
criteria are important when choosing a
mobile data technology and service
provider:
} Cost – the rental plus call charges
for the anticipated data volumes
} Reliability – high integrity and low
error rate
} Speed of transmission
} Low congestion, so that calls suc-
ceed on the first try
} Low call failures, such as during
handovers from one cell to the
next
There were four sets of tests, carried
out at specific times on specific days
in September and October 1997.
Each test series was run with RAM
Mobile Data and on the GSM net-
works operated by Vodaphone and
Cellnet. The tests were designed to
be representative of a typical mobile
data user, recording the success in
transferring data, the time it took, the
cost (when this was available) and
the location (to check against the
predicted coverage).
The answers to the questions posed
by users and supported by the evi-
dence from these competitive trials is
that Mobitex should be used for fre-
quent, small data transfers and for a
high success rate in both achieving
and maintaining connections.
For more information:
Frances Crossley,
RAM Mobile Data Ltd
Tel: +44 181 990 9090
The PA Consulting report´s chief conclusions:} Mobitex is more reliable than GSM data for both in-vehicle and
hand-portable solutions when comparing the success rates of
completed calls, both static and in two raoming areas.
} RAM’s coverage matches and exceeds the areas indicated on
its published coverage maps. Both Vodaphone and Cellnet maps
are overstated for data coverage.
} Data transactions can be completed faster over the Mobitex
network than over GSM networks. This applies to short trans-
actions and one-way data transfers up to 3 kbytes – in other
words, the bulk of RAM’s data traffic.
} GSM is more expensive than Mobitex for frequent short-data
transfer, equivalent to more than 25 data messages per work-
ing day. This applies when the average is less than 650 bytes
per transaction – again, tha bulk of RAM’s data traffic.
} The GSM Short Message Service (SMS) is noticeably slower
than the Mobitex service for all kinds of interactive transaction
and data transfer.
■ Ericsson Mobile Data Design has
published a new six-page brochure
that gives a brief, yet comprehensive
overview of the Mobitex system and
services.
The brochure is targeted at deci-
sion-makers with somewhat limited
technical knowledge. Network operators
will find it useful to include in their sales
kits and as a general presentation to
customers.
For more information or to order
copies of the brochure:
Henrik Kool,
Ericsson Mobile Data Design
Tel: +46 31 703 63 72
New brochure explains Mobitex
White paper favors Mobitex
The PA Consulting report´s chief conclusions:} Mobitex is more reliable than GSM data for both in-vehicle and
hand-portable solutions when comparing the success rates of
completed calls, both static and in two raoming areas.
} RAM’s coverage matches and exceeds the areas indicated on
its published coverage maps. Both Vodaphone and Cellnet maps
are overstated for data coverage.
} Data transactions can be completed faster over the Mobitex
network than over GSM networks. This applies to short trans-
actions and one-way data transfers up to 3 kbytes – in other
words, the bulk of RAM’s data traffic.
} GSM is more expensive than Mobitex for frequent short-data
transfer, equivalent to more than 25 data messages per work-
ing day. This applies when the average is less than 650 bytes
per transaction – again, tha bulk of RAM’s data traffic.
} The GSM Short Message Service (SMS) is noticeably slower
than the Mobitex service for all kinds of interactive transaction
and data transfer.
mobile data magazine 5
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■ The volume of data carried over
RAM’s packet-switched wireless data
network in the U.K. has reached an all-time
high – one million packets a day, recorded at
the end of 1997. John Jarvis, CEO of RAM
Mobile Data, comments, “The increase in
RAM’s data traffic clearly demonstrates the
dramatic acceleration in the use of the net-
work. The first million-packet day came just
eleven months after our first 500,000-packet
day.”
The increase in volume is mainly attribut-
able to an increase in the customer base,
although existing customers have also been
increasing their transmissions.
The millionth packet was transmitted by
South Bank Recovery, one of London’s
largest breakdown and recovery garages, to
help a stranded motorist in East London.
South Bank’s application is typical of the vital
information that RAM handles every day.
Within seconds of receiving the distress
message from the motorist organisation
Green Flag via the Mobitex network, South
Bank dispatched the motorist’s location, plus
detailed information on the nature of the
mechanical problem, via the network to a
recovery vehicle equipped with a mobile
data terminal.
South Bank recovery uses the Turbo
Dispatch job dispatch system from Motor
Trade Software. The system enables the
company to dispatch the appropriate vehicle
– with the right manpower and the right parts
– to the right location much more quickly
than voice radio.
Colin Baily, South Bank’s Managing
Director, says, “This system is totally accu-
rate. When we used voice radio, drivers had
to take down job information in longhand
and would often misunderstand or misspell
details. We have got dispatch time down to
between two and three seconds – a saving
of four hours per day per dispatcher – in
addition to substantial time savings for each
motorist.”
For more information:
Frances Crossley, RAM Mobile Data Ltd
Tel: +44 181 990 9090
■ The municipal transportation author-
ity in Paris, RATP, recently decided to
extend the use of their private Mobitex net-
work by installing combined GPS and
Mobitex technology in 2,000 of its buses.
Attacks on drivers and passengers were
becoming increasingly common – a survey
by the transport workers’ union indicated
that the number of incidents had increased
by 37% in only one year. The problem was
of such magnitude that bus drivers went on
strike in protest and a task force was organ-
ised by the Ministry
of Transportation.
With the new
technology, a driver
can report his or
her position within
ten meters of accu-
racy as an incident
occurs. The system
has been tested on
two bus lines for
two years, resulting
in a considerable
improvement of safe-
ty. The time it takes for the police to arrive
on the scene has been cut in half, from 18
minutes to between 9 and 14 minutes,
depending on the time of day.
Previously, the only way to locate the
vehicle was through radio communication,
which was not always possible if the driver
himself was being attacked. With the new
Mobitex/GPS terminal, the driver can feel
more secure on the job, knowing that help
will arrive quickly when necessary. The sys-
tem also acts as a deterrent for rowdy pas-
sengers; on the line between La Défense
and Sartrouville, one of the lines included in
the test, violent incidents have decreased
by 28%.
All 2,000 buses will be equipped with the
system by the year 2000 at a cost of FFR
25,000-30,000 per vehicle. Additional appli-
cation areas may also be developed. On
the La Défense–Sartrouville bus line, a
video monitoring system has been added.
In case of an alarm, low-resolution pictures
are transferred via Mobitex directly to PC
Sécurité, so that the gravity of the situation
can be assessed.
The positioning system can also be used
to keep the drivers informed as to whether
they are behind or ahead of schedule in
relation to the buses before and after them.
One bus line in Paris is already equipped
with this service.
For more information:
Per-Erik Sundsström,
Ericsson Mobile Data Design
Tel: +46 31 703 60 00
Safer buses in Paris with Mobitex
South Bank recovery helps set record at RAM
mobile data news
6 mobile data magazine
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■ A rather creative use of the Mobitex
network was discovered recently,
namely, in a Swedish television game show.
The program, broadcast on TV 4, is called
“On the Run” and is based on two teams,
each with two contestants, travelling
around Sweden for a week by bus, train,
taxi or plane with a reporter, or “blood-
hound,” hot on their heels. The object of
the game is for each bloodhound to try to
follow his or her team, but he or she can
only “capture” them on Friday night during
the actual broadcast of the program. The
team that is not found is allowed to contin-
ue for one more week and compete with
two new contestants.
Both the escapees and the blood-
hounds have a video camera to record
events during the week, however, only the
bloodhounds have the assistance of a
Global Positioning System in their cars and
can communicate with a central communi-
cations “headquarters” in the TV studio via
the Mobitex network and NMT.
During the program, the studio contacts
the bloodhounds’ cars at regular intervals
via modem on the
Mobitex network. Their
locations are automatical-
ly fed into a mapping sys-
tem developed by Metria,
so that the audience can
see if the bloodhounds
are getting closer to the
contestants. This general-
ly creates quite a bit of
excitement among the
studio audience, espe-
cially during the last ten minutes of the
show as the chase becomes more intense.
Next stop for Mobitex – Hollywood?
For more information:
Anders Forsberg,
Strix Television
Tel: +46 8 702 10 33
■ Turkey is bustling with activity as
Mobicom, the country’s sole
Mobitex operator, is establishing a firm
foothold after almost nine months of net-
work operation. Mobicom has full net-
work coverage in metropolitan Istanbul
and pilot projects under way in Ankara.
The operator has plans to expand cover-
age throughout the Mediterranean coast
of Turkey, especially in tourist areas, and
will continue to extend coverage as mar-
ket need dictates.
Mobicom has an eye on all potential
mobile data users, but is particularly
active in the point-of-sales field. About
six banks are currently involved in a pilot
project for wireless EFTPOS (electronic
funds transfer point of sale) and off-site
ATMs, which has been successful thus
far. The company also has ongoing proj-
ects in telemetry for automated meter-
reading solutions and wireless alarm
monitoring.
Mobicom Mobile Data Communica-
tion Services, Inc. was established one
year ago and is Turkey’s pioneer company
in the wireless data communications
field. The company is a subsidiary of
Çukurova Holding, a prominent telecom-
munications company with shareholdings
in leading GSM (Turkcell), VSAT, cable TV
and Internet service provider companies
in Turkey.
Mobicom will also be hosting the next
MOA meeting starting on April 27 in
Istanbul.
For more information:
Yusef Özkan,
Mobicom Mobile Services
Tel: +90 212 232 6242
■ RAM Mobile Data in Belgium
recently received a provisional license
from the Institut Luxembourgeois de
Telecommunications to begin operating a
mobile data network in Luxembourg.
Two base stations will be made opera-
tional in Luxembourg. This makes it possi-
ble to transmit and receive messages
throughout all of Benelux via RAM’s
Mobitex network.
“This expansion of the network marks a
significant improvement of our service, par-
ticularly for Belgian customers with activities
in Luxembourg,” comments John Barton,
general manager of RAM Mobile Data.
For more information:
Wouter Van Roost,
RAM Mobile Data Belgium
Tel: +32 2 715 25 71
Benelux roaming now possible
Mobitex “on the run”
mobile data magazine 7
Pho
to:
Mik
ael S
ilkeb
erg,
TV
4
Mobicom in Turkey on the rise
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■ ST Mobile Data of Singapore
announces SunMail, its next-gener-
ation wireless data messaging service,
which has been on the market since
September last year.
In addition to providing wireless solu-
tions for professionals in field sales and
service, SunMail enables business profes-
sionals on the move to send and receive e-
mails, faxes and pages when outside the
office, without having to use conventional
phone lines. SunMail is designed for use
with the latest Hewlett-Packard palmtop
PCs, and supports both the Lotus Notes
and the Microsoft Exchange messaging
systems for e-mail and intranet applica-
tions. The WIN wireless modem from
Research in Motion is used with the solu-
tion.
“With ST Mobile Data’s Mobitex mes-
saging service, mobile professionals no
longer have to call or travel back to the
office to retrieve vital information. This easy
and convenient access to information will
significantly improve productivity, efficiency
and customer service and will undoubted-
ly give the user a competitive advantage,”
relates Tay Kiong Hong, general manager
and vice president of ST Mobile Data.
ST Mobile Data’s office solutions are tai-
lored to meet the mobile requirements of
people at all levels of an organisation. For
senior management executives, SunMail
with the HP hand-held PC allows them to
keep in touch via wireless e-mail while out
of the office. They can schedule appoint-
ments and make use of a host of features
to manage the office while on the road.
SunMail is only sold in Singapore at
present, but will soon be available in
Indonesia. ST Mobile Data is evaluating
further distribution possibilities through
both direct and indirect channels. Its inter-
nal sales force and systems integrators are
selling to corporate customers in the verti-
cal market segment, while dealers are dis-
tributing the product to end-users in the
horizontal market segment. ST Mobile Data
is also working with other companies in
terms of further software and product
development.
For more information:
Sharon Tan, Product Marketing Engineer
ST Mobile Data Pte. Ltd.
Tel: +65 486 8865
E-mail: [email protected]
■ Two wireless communications pack-
ages are now available through RAM
in the Netherlands. Wireless Mobius Office
for Microsoft Exchange is a communica-
tions software package that provides a
transparent mobile connection for Microsoft
Exchange mail and agenda users over the
Mobitex network. E-mail and agenda infor-
mation are synchronised on-line, so the
users can work as though they were direct-
ly on the corporate LAN.
The OuterWeb software allows users to
access the corporate intranet and the World
Wide Web wirelessly over Mobitex from any
location. Information can both be retrieved
from and entered into the intranet, enabling
quick response to customer inquiries and
simplifying administrative procedures. All
that is needed in addition to the OuterWeb
software is a standard Web browser, such
as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet
Explorer.
Both Mobius Office for Microsoft
Exchange and OuterWeb can be used
simultaneously, thus providing users with a
complete mobile office: transparent access
to e-mail and agenda, corporate information
on the intranet, and to the Internet.
Intelligent compression and caching tech-
niques render a high level of performance
and installation is easy, according to RAM.
The software products are developed by
Quinsy, a Mobitex solutions developer in the
Netherlands, and are principally sold by
RAM to their customers within the country.
Current plans include broadening the mar-
ket to include Belgium and the U.K., howev-
er, there is still a lot of ground to cover in the
Netherlands.
RAM and Quinsy are looking to establish
more sales channels. One or two distribu-
tors may be in place by this spring. A poten-
tial distributor is also a current user of the
software. Twice Communication Manage-
ment is a computer consulting firm with 40
employees, whose consultants use Outer-
Web when out on assignment.
The first line of customer support will be
provided by the distributor or sales channel,
with Quinsy supplementing with a second
line of support if needed.
For more information:
Henrik-Jan Bekedam,
RAM Mobile Data Netherlands
Tel: +31 30 239 0318
SunMail out of the shade
Dutch software gaining ground
8 mobile data magazine
mobile data news
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■The trucking industry is generally
viewed as a major culprit when it
comes to pollution of the environment.
However, in Uppsala, Sweden, forwarding
company SkandiTransport is last year’s
recipient of the municipality’s environmen-
tal award and is also the first in Sweden to
use GPS to locate vehicles on a street level.
Pooling cargo and using alternative fuels
(ten of the company’s trucks run on rape-
seed oil) have been the mainstay in
SkandiTransport’s environmental policy, but
a major step was taken this winter when a
new GPS-based dispatch system over the
Mobitex network was installed. All of the
trucks are equipped with a GPS transmitter,
which allows the dispatcher to constantly
monitor the location of the vehicles and
direct them in a more rational manner. In
the reverse, the system can be used for
navigation, even though that was not what
the system was initially intended to do.
The system consists of four compo-
nents: the GPS program MobiWin with
digital maps developed by B&M Systems of
Uppsala, the Tuf 2000 dispatch program,
radio communication and a digital PBX. All
40 vehicles – ranging in size from compact
cars to 18-ton trucks – have communica-
tion radios, and some have test installations
of computer displays and faxes. Voice
messages are transmitted via radio, since it
is both reliable and significantly cheaper
than GSM and SMS. However, messages
can also be sent over the Mobitex network
when necessary.
SkandiTransport has about 2,000 cus-
tomers and handles between 750 and 1,500
assignments per day. Three-quarters of all
orders are same-day deliveries. “In the
past, we used to dispatch the truck we
thought was closest,” explains Hans Owe
Pettersson, co-owner of the company, “but
once our fleet exceeded 20 vehicles, we
started losing track of them and had to do
something about it.”
Now dispatchers can type in or place
the cursor on the customer’s address and
MobiWin immediately indicates the best-
positioned vehicle. The dispatchers receive
a warning signal if a vehicle strays from the
proper route or enters a restricted or secu-
rity area, and they can also lock vehicles
and turn off motors from the dispatch cen-
tre – measures sometimes required by cus-
tomers transporting valuable goods.
In addition, the GPS registers travel
speeds and other factors in the database in
real time, thereby preventing possible dis-
putes with the customer.
With the new system, the dispatcher can
zoom in on a map down to street level with
a precision of 0-20 meters, depending on
the number of satellites in the area at the
time. Previously, the average distance
between the customer and the closest
vehicle was about 15 kilometres, but that
distance has been reduced to 200 meters
with GPS. The environmental advantages
of this system are obvious, resulting in an
improved image for both the company and
the industry as a whole.
This can reduce driving distances by an
incredible 450,000 kilometres per year, if
not more, according to Hans Owe
Pettersson. This is equivalent to about 15-
20 percent of the company’s total driving
distance, which means that payback time
for the entire investment of SEK 2 million is
only one year.
Once the system is completely installed,
a customer call will be registered in Tuf
2000 and the address will be indicated in
the MobiWin program, directly prompting
the closest vehicle to appear on the screen
– all while the dispatcher takes the call. An
EDI connection to larger
customers is under con-
sideration and simple
orders can soon be
placed via the Internet.
For more information:
Karl Rudling,
Ericsson Mobile Data Design
Tel: +46 31 703 60 00
■ By now, everyone is familiar
with the year-2000 (Y2K) dilem-
ma facing all computer-based opera-
tions at the turn of the century.
Consequently, the question also arises
as to whether Mobitex networks
around the world will experience a
massive disruption on January 1, 2000.
However, fears can be quelled,
since Ericsson has begun verification
of the Mobitex network’s Y2K compli-
ance. This includes all subsystems,
NCC, MHX/MOX, BAS and software in
the current revision of the Mobitex
system releases: R14E, R14N and
NTE.
All problems caused by the millen-
nium shift within the Mobitex network
will be handled in future Correction
Releases. These releases are of
course free of charge for operators
having a Maintenance Contract.
The Y2K issue is treated with great
respect within the whole Ericsson
organisation. Verification of Mobitex
will be handled in accordance with
Ericsson´s procedure and policy.
For more information:
Folke Bergqvist,
Ericsson Mobile data design
Tel: +46-31 703 60 00
Creating an environmental profile
mobile data magazine 9
Year-2000 under control
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T localcouncil areas in Australiahave adopted United Wireless’
Mobitex technology to solve theirparking problems.
Wlloughby (Chastwood) andManly councils have beguninstalling smart parking meters thatare monitored by the council’s com-puter system via United Wireless’Mobitex network.
The “Pay & Display” meters that
the councils are installing are manu-factured by Schlumberger ofGermany and distributed byReinhardt Australia. The meters aremonitored at each council’s centralcomputer, which alerts council staffto problems with the parking meters.Typical problems include jammedcoins and faults with ticket printing.Because problems are reportedimmediately, the council can sendstaff to correct them as they occur.
Street parking worries solved in Australia
Two Australian councils in theSydney area are using wireless
data technology to improveservice to motorists, while
realising substantial cost benefits.
10 mobile data magazine
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The remote monitoring function is crucial inkeeping council costs down. Staff no longerneed to perform routine patrols of metersthat are working properly. They are more effi-ciently deployed going straight to faultymachines.
Reliable monitoring guaranteed
The application software allows audit informa-tion to be gathered remotely and transmittedback to the central computer over the UnitedWireless network. Because Mobitex providestwo-way communications, information canalso be transferred from the central computerto the base stations, where it is forwarded byradio to the modem inside the parking meter.This allows tariff and time changes to be maderemotely.
Wireless data transmission was an attractiveoption for both councils, since they did nothave to tear up streets to install communica-tions cables. The battery and solar poweredSchlumberger equipment installed byReinhardt also makes connection to mainspower unnecessary.
The body of each parking meter is vandalproof. Wireless monitoring also provides anextra level of security, since an alarm can besent indicating that a break-in attempt hasoccurred, as well as where it occurred. Theradio-equipped parking meters thus deliverbetter value for money, as well as reducingmaintenance costs for the councils.
The councils chose the United Wireless net-work because Mobitex provides the highly reli-able communications channel that is required.In addition, Mobitex technology is ideally suit-ed to a remote monitoring application, whichtypically involves small but sometimes frequentdata exchanges. Charging in a Mobitex net-work is based on the amount of data sent, notthe connection time. Normally, there is also nofixed call set-up charge.
The same Mobitex-based parking applica-tions now being installed in Australia are alsoused in the U.K. by a number of county coun-cils and several London boroughs.
Major cost benefits
United Wireless CEO Joseph Gatto is confi-dent that the councils will immediately notice
the cost benefits of the new system. “BothManly and Chatswood Councils have massiveparking logistics to administer. At a time whencosts are rising and rates and revenues arepegged, they needed a data transmission sys-tem for these new parking meters that woulddeliver accurate billing, while keeping overheadcosts at a minimum. Our network can deliverthese benefits because clients only pay for theamount of data transmitted, not permanentline rental costs,” says Gatto.
“We have excellent base station capacity inthese areas,” adds Gatto. “The United Wirelessnetwork can easily service the area now beinginstalled, as well as the many others that will beadded in the future.”
Gatto believes that council employees arealso benefiting from lower stress levels nowthat the new meters have been installed. “Thereis nothing worse than dealing with an iratemotorist who has received a parking ticketwhen the meter was out of service. Now coun-cil staff can accurately check whether or notthe meter was in service at the time and verifythe motorist’s claim with 100-percent confi-dence.”
United Wireless Pty. Limited
United Wireless, together with it´s channelpartners and system integrators, supports awide range of applications for the Australianmarket.
Telemetry is one of the application areas onwhich United Wireless is currently focusing. Inaddition to the parking meter applicationdescribed in the main article, this market seg-ment includes vending machines, automatedmeter reading, security panel monitoring andfire panel monitoring.
Transport is another market segment inwhich United Wireless is stepping up it´s mar-keting efforts. Applications in this segmentinclude automatic vehicle location, global posi-tioning systems, computer-aided dispatch,dynamic scheduling and engine monitoring. ■
:
Sarah Grier United Wireless Pty LimitedTel: +61 2 9292 7000Fax: +61 2 9292 7070E-mail: [email protected]
The meters are
monitored at each
council´s central
computer, which
alerts council staff
to problems.
mobile data magazine 11
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Wireless intranetimproves field service
12 mobile data magazine
T , salesand service organisations must beable to represent and maintain the
products of many manufacturers, as well astheir own. Maintaining a high level of mis-sion-critical information for real-time distri-bution has become a challenge for all organ-isations with remote field personnel.Information management is a major invest-ment regardless of the technology used.
Honeywell’s goal was to make better use ofinformation by making it accessible from thefield. Honeywell IAC executives knew if anyof their technicians needed information,there was a strong probability that someoneamong the company’s 57,500-plus employeesalready had it. The problem was packagingthe information and making it available tothe mobile technicians when and where theyneeded it.
“We needed to figure out how to leverageour size and wealth of information and use itproductively,” says Ed Campbell, nationalservice manager at Honeywell IAC. “Wewanted to collectively share with the field theknowledge and information that we havebuilt over the decades that Honeywell hasbeen in business.
“To really be effective, our company can’tbe fixing the same bug 40 million times,”Campbell continues. “We’ve got to fix itonce and then distribute that information ina usable format to all of our organisationswherever they might be located.”
Honeywell’s initiative was to leverageInternet and wireless data communicationstechnology, to share the information andmake it available to the field, whenever andwherever service was needed.
Tomorrow’s technology todayEarly in the process, Honeywell executivesrealised that IAC’s new solution had to be com-patible with Internet technology. An Internet-based field service management solution couldaccess Honeywell’s corporate intranet, where allthe information resides, thus leveraging theexisting infrastructure and minimising imple-mentation time.
The largest obstacle was that the informationon the corporate intranet was largely propri-etary. Honeywell executives clearly understoodsecurity issues and certainly did not want to cre-ate opportunities for outsiders to have access toits intranet. Therefore, security was placed highon its list of priorities for the new solution.
Despite security issues, Honeywell executivesremained convinced that building the solutionaround Internet/intranet technology was theright call. The underlying goal was to enableservice technicians to work better, faster andmore profitably. Honeywell’s intranet provides amassive storehouse of easily accessible informa-tion, and it was believed that the Internet wouldbe the dominant data communications mediumfor the foreseeable future – which made thissolution Campbell’s choice for expediting thecorporate information flow.
The IAC challenge
After extensive research, it was determined thata combination of components would be neededto meet Honeywell’s business requirements.Campbell identified five forward-thinking com-panies who were the most experienced in theirrespective areas: service management, Internetaccess and wireless data communications. Thefive companies Honeywell selected were:} Scopus Technology, Inc., a leading provider
As the leading sup-
plier of industrial
control systems
and components,
Honeywell Inc.’s
North American
field operations for
Industrial Auto-
mation and Control
(IAC) needed to
develop a wireless
data communica-
tions solution to
manage its service
business, as well as
manage information
distribution among
its North American
mobile workforce.
Mobitex and wire-
less intranet
access provided
important compo-
nents of the solu-
tion.
C U S T O M E R P E R S P E C T I V E
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mobile data magazine 13
of enterprise customer care solutionsthat offers service management appli-cations specifically tailored to therequirements of vertical industry sec-tors. The Scopus suite of customercare applications addressed all ofHoneywell’s service managementneeds.} Inference/Case-Based Reasoning,a leading provider of self-service andknowledge management solutionsthat help people solve problems on-line, offering a powerful searchengine to locate and present theinformation to technicians in thefield.}RAM Mobile Data currently cov-ers 93 percent of the urban businesspopulation throughout the UnitedStates. RAM’s Strategic Networkcombines the Mobitex-based wire-less network with links to comple-mentary networks including circuit-switched cellular, satellite, and dial-up technologies to enable customersto cover 100 percent of their mobileusers in the U.S.}GoAmerica CommunicationsCorporation, a nationwide wirelessInternet and intranet serviceprovider, offers wireless Internet andintranet access, as well as E-mail Plusand value added information servic-es, in an efficient, secure and eco-nomical environment.} Itronix, is a supplier of networkedmobile computing systems designedspecifically for field service require-ments. Itronix has more than adecade of success in combiningmobile information systems with reli-able communications networks.
The five companies were invited toHoneywell IAC’s Phoenix headquar-ters to integrate their products andservices into a single solution anddemonstrate the working prototypesolution in a real-life situation. Toprove their product’s adaptability,they were to do so within a 24-hourperiod. Before that could happen,these selected companies first had tocreate a script– a “day-in-the-life”scenario for a service technician that
reflected real-world conditions.A hypothetical service technician
using a laptop computer had to wire-lessly download work assignmentsand research whatever problems heor she would face. The technicianalso had to be able to wirelesslyreceive emergency pages from cus-tomers, order parts, document theentire process down to the invoiceand, in general, respond to a cus-tomers’ needs, if possible, even whileparked at the side of the road.
“We wanted to leverage technolo-gy to move information wirelessly informs that people would understand,without necessarily having to be anexpert on the topic,” Campbellexplains. “To do that, you have tounderstand the environments thesetechnicians live in. We also needed aservice application on a familiar plat-form with intuitive functionality. Iwanted to train the technicians onceto use their tools, and then be able toadd or take away applications as nec-essary”
Ted Germann, RAM’s West CoastRegion Sales Manager, laid much ofthe groundwork for Honeywell IAC’sproof-of-concept project whichbegan in December of 1996.
A partnership is born
After 24 hours, it was time to demon-strate the solution the five expertscreated. Vice presidents fromHoneywell IAC and all five partici-pating companies attended thedemonstration.
“We brought five vendors togeth-er with their separate products, andan entire solution came together in24 hours,” says Campbell. “Whenthey saw what their products andservices could do as a single solution,it was magnificent. They quicklybecame partners, and all we had todo was stay out of their way and lettheir expertise lead the way.
“Another result was that theHoneywell vice presidents could nowsee and understand the difficultiesour field technicians experienced by
listening to our “day-in-the-life” sce-nario. It almost put them in the carwith the technician and showed whattechnology can do to actually helpsolve a customer’s problem,” notesCampbell.
From concept to rollout
It took Honeywell only one year tomove from that original proof-of-concept session to the wireless datasolution’s actual rollout. This is anextremely short time for a organisa-tion of Honeywell’s size and a pow-erful testimonial to Honeywell’svision. About 150 units weredeployed by the end of 1997, with theremaining 600 scheduled to go on-line in North America early in 1998.
While it is still too early to quanti-fy results, Honeywell predictsimprovements of 10 to 15 percent inproductivity, and as much as 20 per-cent in responsiveness by field techni-cians. As a result, the companyexpects to realise up to a 5-percentimprovement in customer satisfac-tion.
Although Honeywell originallyapproached this project from a field-service point of view, they see enor-mous potential in other areas of thecompany, such as the field salesorganisation and engineering, whereremote access to the corporateintranet is needed.”Take our salesorganisation, for example,” saysCampbell. “The information thatwe’re able to build and track in thedatabase can be used to better man-age accounts and provide time tofind new business. Also, engineeringis waiting to get real-time serviceinformation from the field, because itwill allow them to spot recurringproblems or trends and address themlong before they become serious.”
“It can ripple down through theentire organisation,” Campbell con-cludes. “Although this solution devel-opment was prompted by the needfor remote use by mobile field work-ers, the entire organisation will bene-fit – it has tremendous potential.” ■
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14 mobile data magazine
F ’ ,the best thing about Ericsson’snew Virtual Office software
is that it works. Unlike less capablemobile office products, EVO doesnot require constant fiddling withmodem parameters and dial-up con-nection settings. It installs easily andworks every time.
The same software also supportsvirtually all carrier services. In addi-tion to Mobitex, these include cellu-lar services such as GSM, D-AMPSand CDPD, as well as conventionalwireline and LAN connections. Aportable PC user can even hot swapcommunications devices. EVO doesnot miss a beat, even if it’s in themiddle of a lengthy file transfer.
These features alone should make
EVO a hit among portable PC userswho need wireless data communica-tions capability. Yet, amazingly, thefeatures that make EVO a superiorchoice for dial-up clients are notamong its core features. EVO’s truestrength lies in networking and itsability to transform a portable PCinto a remote node on an office net-work.
Wireless link to BackOffice
Ericsson’s new Virtual Office soft-ware is a unique product that pro-vides a wireless link to MicrosoftBackOffice. EVO is not a conven-tional communications softwarepackage. Rather, it is a type ofsoftware called middleware thatseamlessly integrates with Windows
EVO takes your LAN
on the roadEricsson’s new Virtual Office soft-
ware is in a class of its own. Not
be confused with less capable
mobile office products, EVO is a
network software product that
provides full remote node capa-
bilities for mobile users. EVO’s
unique strength is that is
seamlessly integrates with
the Microsoft Windows oper-
ating system to provide a
wireless link to BackOffice.
Ericsson’s Virtual Office
software provides the
foundation for a new
generation of wirelessly
enabled, messaging-
based workgroup
applications.
C U S T O M E R P E R S P E C T I V E
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95 and Windows NT to wirelessly extend the office net-work to remote users. All resources on the LAN, the cor-porate network and even the Internet are available fromthe field.
The core components of EVO are a Communica-tions Agent that is highly optimized for wireless com-munications and a number of service providers for E-mail, file transfer, notifications and Web access. Foreach of the services, components are installed on boththe client and server computers that work together withthe EVO Communications Agent to support standardWindows functions across all of the carrier servicessupported by EVO.
Perhaps the most important feature of EVO for cor-porate customers is strong security. EVO extends thefull Windows NT security model across the wirelessnetwork and supports authentication and all WindowsNT access rights on both Windows NT and Windows95 clients. In addition, DES encryption can be used forall data exchanges. For the most sensitive applications,it is also possible to configure EVO in such a way thata firewall is created between remote users and the inter-nal network in the office.
The EVO Communications Agent
EVO’s unique capabilities derive from the EVOCommunications Agent. Beneath the EVO Communi-cations Agent, there are network drivers developed byEricsson for Mobitex, GSM and other wireless net-works.
The EVO Communications Agent is highly opti-mized for wireless communications. It acts as a genericcommunication agent that manages and optimizeslinks over different access carriers.
It is important to note that the EVO Communica-tions Agent is installed on both the client and serversides. This means that in applications which use a pro-tocol such as TCP/IP, EVO can substitute to a moreefficient protocol, such as MTP (Mobitex TransportProtocol), without affecting the application. The EVOCommunications Agent can also use a technique calledspoofing to eliminate unnecessary data transfers whenexcessively “chatty” protocols, such as HTTP, are used.
Internally, the EVO Communications Agents can usethese and other methods to dramatically improve per-formance. Data is compressed to maximize through-put. The Communications Agent uses it´s knowledge ofwireless carrier services to adjust packet sizes and otherparameters to match the characteristics of the medium.Pre-fetching is used as is appropriate for the particularservice provider. The result is that EVO delivers signif-icantly better performance when compared with con-ventional communications software running over adial-up connection.
Designed for Microsoft ExchangeEVO installs software components on the client and serv-er sides that provide services for messaging, file transfer,web browsing and notification. From the user’s perspec-tive, these functions work as expected using standardapplications, such as Microsoft Outlook, the WindowsExplorer and Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.Under the hood, however, EVO provides a wireless com-munications link and implements a special notificationservice to keep users informed about important events onthe server.
Most important among these service providers, and thekey to EVO’s groupware capabilities, is the EVO MailProvider, which fully supports MAPI (MessagingApplication Programming Interface), an industry stan-dard protocol specification for messaging systems. EVO isdesigned to work with Microsoft Exchange Server and ishighly optimized for Exchange’s MAPI clients, whichinclude Microsoft Outlook, Exchange Client andSchedule+.
The EVO Mail Provider works with the EVONotification provider to provide a powerful wireless e-mail platform that enhances Exchange’s remote mailcapabilities, Users are able to select a number of settingsand notification options.
Users may thus request notification each time a mes-sage is received in the office, automatically download onlymessage headers, selectively download messages less thana certain size or download only messages but not attach-ments. The possible combinations are almost unlimited,making it easy to configure an E-mail client that is optimalfor wireless users.
Wireless Office solutions
Apart from the EVO Progress Monitor, which installs asa tray icon on the Windows Taskbar, Ericsson’s VirtualOffice software has no user interface. It is true middlewarethat is designed to be completely transparent to users. Forremote access and wireless E-mail, it offers features andperformance equal or better than any other product. Yet,the real power of EVO lies in its role as wireless middle-ware that extends the Microsoft BackOffice environment.
“…Perhaps the most
important feature of EVO
for corporate customers
is strong security…”
“…Perhaps the most
important feature of EVO
for corporate customers
is strong security…”
mobile data magazine 15
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Ericsson’s Virtual Office is the wireless software link to Microsoft
BackOffice. It provides a Communications Agent optimized for
wireless carrier services, which include Mobitex, GSM, D-AMPS
and CDPD, as well as conventional wireline and LAN connec-
tions. It wirelessly extends standard applications, such as
Microsoft Outlook,Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer with
Mail, File Transfer, Web and Notification service providers.
EVO adds significant value for all mobile users who need
access to the office network from the field. It´s major benefits are:} Security Encryption and Windows NT authentication are sup-
ported end-to-end.} Performance. EVO is cost effective because it uses com-
pression, session management and other techniques to maxi-
mize throughput.} The notification service ensures that users can stay in touch
at all times.
Initially, EVO will be marketed in the U.S.,
and Europe. Ericsson intends to market
the product primarily through
Microsoft Solution Partners to
corporate customers. Wireless
penetration and portable computer
use will be important factors in deter-
mining local marketing plans.
16 mobile data magazine
The Microsoft Office applications aredesigned to support workgroups andworkflow methods. In the typicaloffice setting, this means that Worddocuments can be circulated amongworkgroup members who may entertheir comments as annotations orthat Excel spreadsheets representingtravel expenses or sales reports canbe automatically forwarded to theproper recipient. Documents canalso be updated dynamically, so thata report containing weekly or dailysales figures is produced only oncebut updated regularly.
With EVO, workgroups andworkflow methods are immediatelyextended to the field. A mobile userwho opens the weekly sales reporton his or her portable PC will viewthe latest figures available on theserver in the office. A workgroupapplication for scheduling meetingswill automatically check the calen-
dars of mobile users. With EVO, theremote user is a full member of theworkgroup, and applications designedto work over an office network willbe wirelessly extended to the fieldwithout modification.
Because EVO is a new product,few users have discovered thesecapabilities. Messaging-based work-group applications, however, aregrowing in importance, and manyorganisations are discovering howeasy it is to create custom solutionsusing the objects and tools includedin Microsoft Office. For corporatecustomers, therefore, EVO providesa platform for the future. As work-flow methods and workgroup appli-cations begin to change the waypeople work, EVO will be ready towirelessly extend these applicationsto the field.
Wireless web browsing is anothercapability likely to find widespreaduse. This capability typically worksthrough a proxy server provided bythe Windows NT Server in theoffice. Mobile users can browse thecompany´s intranet or external websites via the proxy server. Althoughbrowsing the web at the relativelyslow speeds supported by wirelessnetworks can be frustrating, thereare many sites that are optimizedfor wireless devices, and perform-ance is acceptable, particularly ifgraphics are not displayed.Designers of intranets can also
optimise pages for mobile users.
Today’s and tomorrow’s needs
The EVO software has been exten-sively tested over the past year. Oneof the most important beta test siteswas Wireless Telecom Inc. (see sepa-rate article), which is now usingEVO as the foundation for it´sMobileLogic Network Service forMicrosoft Exchange. In the U.S.,both Ericsson and RAM MobileData have built up a marketingorganisation for the product.
EVO 1.0 is now ready to ship.However, Ericsson is already hard atwork on the next version. Amongmajor enhancements planned for thenext version is a Windows CE client.Future versions will also include sup-port for Windows 98 and new ver-sions of Microsoft Exchange andOutlook. Finally, wireless carrier serv-ices, and particularly cellular services,continue to evolve, making it neces-sary to plan new versions of EVO asnetwork operators improve their serv-ices. EVO is a compelling product formobile users for both today’s andtomorrow’s needs. The powerful fea-tures that this product delivers allow itto grow with the needs and expecta-tions of users as workflow methodsand workgroup applications enablenew ways of working. Ericsson’sVirtual Office provides an excitingpreview of the future of wireless datacommunications. ■
EVO at a glance
▼ The EVO Progress Monitor whichinstalls as a tray icon on the Windows Task-bar is the primary user interface.
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Wireless Telecom Inc. has developed a business model to promote broad-scale adoption of wireless data technology and make it easy for com-
panies to wirelessly enable their mobile workforces. The compa-ny’s MobileLogic Network Services is a turn-key solution that
allows companies to wirelessly extend existing informationsystems to mobile workers on a subscription basis. This
unique and highly successful business model makesWTI one of the leaders in the mobile data industry.
Everythingincluded with
MobileLogic
I the key toacceptance of wireless datasolutions on a broad scale?
Wireless Telecom Inc. (WTI), aU.S. company based in Denver,Colorado, thinks so. Today, thecompany, which was founded in1993, is entirely focused on it´sMobileLogic Network Service,which wirelessly extends existinginformation systems to mobileworkers on a subscription basis.
It wasn’t always this way. Fromthe beginning, WTI set out to bethe leading provider of mobile datanetworking products and services.The product portfolio included car-rier service providers, hardware andsoftware from virtually every com-pany in the industry. WTI still sellsthese products, but withMobileLogic, the company’s busi-ness has changed.
“Since the launch of theMobileLogic Network Servicenearly three years ago, it hasbecome virtually the sole focus of
our business, as we have realisedthe value for customers of out-sourcing and turn-key solutions,”relates vice president of marketingDan Bergal. With MobileLogic,WTI is overcoming the significantbarriers to broad corporate adop-tion and deployment of mobiledata technologies.
Responding to trends
The reasons behind WTI’s consoli-dation of it´s business aroundMobileLogic can be found in anumber of market trends. Mostimportant is the increase in thenumber of mobile workers, esti-mated at about 30 percent of theU.S. workforce and expected toincrease by an additional 50 per-cent by 2001.
This is not simply the result of amore mobile lifestyle. Driving thistrend is a move to more customer-focused operations. Companies areattempting to improve service andincrease competitiveness by closing
offices and moving employees outinto the field and closer to the cus-tomer.
Suppliers of wireless data hard-ware and software, as well as net-work operators, have been quick torespond to these trends. They havedeveloped increasingly sophisticat-ed products, including inexpensivePC Card wireless modems and spe-cialised wireless middleware, anddramatically increased networkcoverage. Yet, as WTI experiencedin the marketing of its broad prod-uct portfolio, these developmentswere not sufficient.
Breaking the barrier
The conclusion drawn by WTI onthe basis of this experience is that amore general trend in the IT indus-try, outsourcing. presents a barrierto the broad-scale adoption ofwireless data. Although the poten-tial benefits of wireless data tech-nology for a mobile workforce areindisputable, companies that are
C U S T O M E R P E R S P E C T I V E
mobile data magazine 17
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18 mobile data magazine
already outsourcing their IT opera-tions are not likely to be interestedin wireless data products that onlyprovide pieces of a total solution.In effect, the company realised thatit must package it´s broad portfolioof products in a total solution, if itwas to be successful.
The reasons for outsourcing arecompelling. As information tech-nology continues to advance at anever-more rapid pace, it becomesmore complex and requires greaterinvestment. The IT professionalsneeded to implement and maintaininformation systems are also inshort supply in most companies.
Complexity, cost and resourceissues are thus driving companiesto outsource IT operations toexternal suppliers who have theskills and resources required tokeep pace with technology and canspread costs over a larger user base.In developing it´s business strategy,
WTI realised that these argumentsapply to an even greater degree inthe adoption of wireless data tech-nology.
Turn-key solution
With the MobileLogic NetworkServices, WTI addresses all of theseissues and provides a completeturn-key solution. The packageincludes radio modems for mobileusers, client software, a middlewaregateway to the corporate LAN,wireless airtime, network manage-ment and operation services, tech-nical support and network services.For each of these components, anumber of options is available,reflecting WTI’s broad productportfolio and experience in wirelessdata solutions.
The LAN gateway supports bothMicrosoft and IBM-based infor-mation systems. The MobileLogicExchange package, which is basedon Ericsson’s Virtual Office soft-ware, a wireless link to WindowsNT Server and access to theMicrosoft BackOffice environment,including Microsoft Exchange. TheMobileLogic Emulator packagesupports wireless connection toIBM AS/400 and mainframe envi-ronments. Recently, a new optioncalled MobileLogic for the Webwas added to support access to cor-porate intranets and the web.
The MobileLogic package alsoincludes wireless network subscrip-tions and airtime. WTI is a value-added reseller for RAM MobileData and AT&T wireless services.Customers using RAM MobileData’s Mobitex service or AT&TWireless’ cellular services thus canbenefit from the volume discountsthat WTI is able to obtain. WTI isalso a retailer of Ericsson radiomodems, but in keeping with WTI’spolicy of offering a complete rangeof products, customers are able tochoose from a wide selection ofmodems.
Perhaps most important fromthe customer’s standpoint is thatthe MobileLogic Network Serviceis available for a fixed monthly costthat includes network administra-tion and management services, aswell as technical support. There arethus no hidden costs. Everythingneeded to immediately begin usinga standard or custom application inthe field is included in the package.
The value of outsourcing
Based on it́ s MobileLogic NetworkService, Wireless Telecom Inc. pro-vides a compelling analysis of thevalue of outsourcing, compared with in-house development.Computing the costs for ten mobileusers and using very conservativeestimates for hardware and soft-
Outsource ProviderCorporate LAN Mobile User
InternetFrame Relay
Dial-UpISDN
IBM hostserver
NTserver
HarwareSoftware
Network accessAdministration
SupportSecurity
MobitexCDPD
Cellular/DialupPCS
Other
▼ An outsourced mobile data network could be structured as shown below:
OutsourceMobile
Gateway
WirelineNetwork
MobileWirelessNetwork
▲ The number of mobile workers in theU.S. are expected to increase by 50% bythe year 2001.
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ware costs, the company estimatesthat the total monthly cost for anin-house implementation is nearlyfour times greater than outsourcingover a 24-month period. WithMobileLogic, the average monthlycost per user is about USD 100.
Reducing and controlling operat-ing costs is not the only value ofoutsourcing. By outsourcing, com-panies can avoid capital expendi-tures, since the server and gatewayhardware is owned and operated byWTI, while smaller items, such asmodems and software, are leased orrented, allowing them to be bookedas operating expenses. This allowscompanies to devote moreresources to their core business,thus improving the company’s focus.
An additional value of outsourcingis that it reduces technologicalrisks. The pace of technical devel-opment is rapid. In the area ofwireless data and mobile comput-
ing, in particular, product life cyclesare measured in months, while theInternet and network services con-tinue to develop at warp speed.Keeping up with this frenetic paceand being able to test drive newtechnology as it appears can be amajor competitive advantage.
Successful model
The model on which WTI basesit´s business is very successful. Thelist of companies and organisa-tions using MobileLogic NetworkServices already numbers severaldozen and is growing continually.Many of these customers are smalland medium-sized companies thatwould undoubtedly have beenreluctant to deploy a wireless datasolution for their mobile workforcewithout the help of a company likeWireless Telecom Inc.
It is important to realise that thisrepresents incremental growth of
the wireless data industry that oth-erwise probably would not haveoccurred and that the MobileLogicturn-key solution is the crucial ele-ment in this new growth. Largecompanies generally have wirelessdata strategies and will be able todevote the necessary resources todeploying wireless data solutionsas their business requirements dic-tate. Broad-scale adoption, howev-er, is best promoted by applying amodel similar to that developed byWTI.
As a business concept, MobileLogic Network Services thereforehas important consequences forother markets outside NorthAmerica. Both Mobitex networkoperators and wireless hardwareand software vendors should care-fully consider the lessons learnedby Wireless Telecom Inc. and studythe successful model that the com-pany has developed. ■
Financial analysts know a good investment when they seeone. It is hardly surprising, then, that several major invest-ment firms have decided to outsource their wireless datanetwork operations to WTI. In the technology-intensive finan-cial services industry, these smart firms have recognisedthat MobileLogic Network Services help them to overcomethe key cost, complexity and resource issues and to extendaccess to financial information systems to their growingmobile workforce.
Two places at once
“Investment firms particularly appreciate being able toreceive real-time stock quotes from any location,” notes DonBergal, vice president of marketing at WTI. “For financial ana-lysts and investment advisors in the field, it’s like being ableto be in two places at one time. They have access to all theinformation that they would have on the trading floor, while atthe same time being able to meet face-to-face withinvestors. That’s a big competitive advantage.”
Most of WTI’s customers in the financial services sectorhave opted for the MobileLogic Exchange package. Thisproduct is based on Ericsson’s Virtual Office (EVO) software,which provides a wireless link to Microsoft Exchange andBackOffice. Of particular importance to remote usersaccessing sensitive financial information is that theMobileLogic Exchange service supports strong DES encryp-tion and extends the Windows NT security and authentica-
tion functions to theremote user.With the MobileLogicExchange service,remote users are able to run standard Microsoft Office appli-cations, as well as custom Office solutions, on their portablePCs with full access to the corporate network. Financial ana-lysts working in the field, for example, can easily accessExcel spreadsheets stored on the office network.
Wireless BackOffice link
“Although wireless e-mail is still the most important applica-tion for many mobile professionals, we are finding that manypeople in the financial services industry and other who offerprofessional services directly to customers are using theMobileLogic Exchange service in very innovative ways,”relates Don Bergal.
The secret behind this is that the EVO wireless middle-ware is truly transparent to the user. By wirelessly extendingthe standard Microsoft Office platform it also provides afoundation for many custom solutions, such as those used inthe financial services industry.
Finally, the sophistication of this new wireless data serviceis able to meet the most exacting demands of mobile pro-fessional. “The MobileLogic Exchange service is generatingthe greatest sales and is the product for which we see thegreatest potential,” concludes Don Bergal.
Wireless financial services
mobile data magazine 19
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W ⅞ Readersof this magazine know,of course, that Mobitex
is the world’s leading technology forwireless narrowband packet-switched data communication. Forthe telecommunications industry asa whole, however, Mobitex could belikened to a solution looking for aproblem. There is little awareness ofMobitex or the many applicationsfor which it is an ideal solution.
David Neale, president ofCanadian Mobitex operator Canteland newly elected Chairman of theMobitex Operators Association(MOA), intends to change this.“Making Mobitex a visible stan-dard worldwide is the top priority.Right now, there is a window ofopportunity that simply cannot bemissed,” says Mr. Neale.
The new chairman takes over anorganisation that is stronger thanever. MOA membership has nowrisen to 14 public operators. Lastyear, the MOA members approveda proposal to employ a permanentExecutive Director. Jack Barse, who
has been a director of BellSouthMobile Data for many years,assumed this post on January 1,1998. In addition, John Nicholson,who is employed by RAM MobileData UK, became SecretaryGeneral of MOA on the same date.
Unified message
“One of my first tasks will be to for-mulate a unified message for all theMOA members that we will broad-cast throughout the industry,” saysexecutive director Jack Barse. Usingthis message, Mr. Barse intends topromote Mobitex by actively par-ticipating in industry events anddeveloping a large contact network,two activities for which previousMOA executives have had littletime.
“MOA has always had excitingmeetings, with great ideas and lotsof enthusiasm,” notes David Neale.“MOA members, who are busyexecutives in their own companies,had little time to pursue MOA busi-ness. Now, with Jack working fulltime as executive director, activity
When timing meets opportunity
In conjunction with theMobitex Operators
Association’s ExecutiveCommittee meeting held
in Gothenburg, Swedenon January 19 to 21, 1997,
Mobile Data Magazinetalked to newly elected
Chairman David Nealeand newly appointed
Executive Director JackBarse. Judging from theiroptimism and enthusiasm,
1998 is going to be agreat year for Mobitex.
20 mobile data magazine
S T R A T E G Y
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will remain at a high level even between meet-ings.”
In formulating a unified message for MOA,the executive director and the executive com-mittee will have to take into consideration thatMOA is an organisation with two levels.“Basically, we are an umbrella organisation,”explains David Neale. “For operators, it isextremely important that MOA strongly sup-ports their activities at the local level and thatthe operator community is able to provide aforum for discussion of common issues. But intrying to increase MOA’s visibility and promotegreater awareness in the industry of Mobitextechnology, we must make sure that we are act-ing in the interests of all our members.”
Window of opportunity
A unified Mobitex message is an appropriateresponse to current market trends, notes DavidNeale. “We are seeing many applications beingdeveloped and deployed across countries. Anumber of customers want to invest in Mobitexon a multinational basis. Unisys and FederalExpress are two recent examples of customerswho have signed on, but there are a number ofothers now in the final stages of a decisionprocess.”
The attractiveness of common applicationsacross countries is obvious to multinationalsand one of Mobitex’ key strengths. In fact,Mobitex has virtually no competition as theinternational standard for wireless data com-munications, but many potential customers donot become aware of this fact until they beginevaluating the alternatives. Pursuing new inter-national accounts and acting as a coordinatorand contact person for existing internationalaccounts will therefore be key tasks for JackBarse.
“There is a relatively widespread perceptionin the market that new technologies, such astwo-way paging and PCS are the answer,” saysDavid Neale. “Most companies in need of awireless data solution, however, quickly discov-er that those technologies simply cannot deliver.Mobitex can provide the solution, but naturally,potential customers should become aware ofMobitex technology at a much earlier stage.”
There can be no doubt that other technolo-gies are emerging for wireless messaging andpacket-switched data communication that willpose a significant challenge to Mobitex. DavidNeale, however, believes that there is a window
of opportunity for Mobitex. New operatorsbacking these emerging technologies have expe-rienced significant start-up difficulties.Marketing has been weak and take-up pooramong potential users. The new MOA chair-man intends to take advantage of this opportu-nity by significantly increasing the visibility ofMobitex.
New forms of collaboration
Internally, MOA is preparing for some majorchanges in its routines. Much of the organisa-tion's work, particularly administration of theMobitex Interface Specification (MIS), doesnot need to be conducted in face-to-face meet-ings. The specification evolves through contri-butions made by many groups, and changes arenormally approved by mutual assent among theoperators. The Internet provides an ideal forumfor the many parties involved.
“We want to dramatically change the way wecollaborate,” acknowledges Jack Barse. “Verysoon, we will be putting up a MOA web site formembers, as well as customers, industry part-ners, the press and other interested parties. Formembers, we intend to create a secure intranetthat will allow us to conduct much of our offi-cial business electronically through various dis-cussion groups.”
MOA chairman David Neale confirms thatthis is a top priority for the new executive direc-tor, and he anticipates that MOA meetings inthe future will focus more strongly on marketingand strategic issues where the participating top-level executives from the operating companiesare able to make their greatest contributions.
Matching this consolidation of focus are therecent changes in Ericsson’s mobile data organ-isation. “There is a greater alignment of objec-tives that benefits both parties,” says DavidNeale. “MOA and Ericsson work together toachieve a common goal. Over the next 24months, we must make every effort to consoli-date Mobitex’ position in the market.”
The third phase
Although David Neale left the CanadianMobitex operator to take another position for anumber of years during the early 1990s, he is aveteran in the Mobitex community and wasactive in MOA from the start. “In the earlydays, there were only four MOA members,”relates David Neale. “Canada had the firstMobitex network outside the Nordic region,
mobile data magazine 21
John Nicholson (left),Secretary General ofMOA, David Neale(middle), newly electedChairman of MOA, andJack Barse (right),Executive Director ofMOA, seem to believethat there are no limits to how far they can takeMobitex technology.
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and we joined with Sweden, Finlandand Norway to form the originalorganisation.”
The second phase began whenRAM Mobile Data entered the mar-ket by announcing Mobitex net-works in the U.S. and the U.K. Thesewere quickly followed by new net-works in other European countries,as well as in Asia and Australia. Thisexpansive phase of Mobitex devel-opment was characterised by manyoperators with similar businessplans. Telecommunications compa-nies dominated among these newoperators, many of who expectedgrowth in mobile data to parallelmobile telephony. Market realities,however, forced many operators torevise their business strategies and torefocus on vertical markets withslower growth.
Today, David Neale sees a thirdphase in Mobitex development.“New companies are entering themarket that are not telcos,” he notes.“We are also seeing new capitalspending among established opera-tors. The Mobitex operators arefinding new areas of opportunity insuch areas of point-of-sale. At thesame time, the Internet is creatingnew media for which wireless accessis a must.”
New breed of operators
Taken together, these new opportu-nities will significantly expand themarket for Mobitex. Increasingly,however, operators are learning toidentify the market segments andapplications that are profitable forboth the operator and the customer.Several of the new Mobitex net-works announced recently will be
built for a single application and asingle customer. New Mobitex oper-ators include companies whose pri-mary business is banking or trans-portation.
“Multiple operators in a singlecountry who are not competing forthe same customers may be a salientfeature of this new phase,” notesDavid Neale. “This will be possiblebecause, unlike during the previousphase of Mobitex development,these new operators do not have sim-ilar business plans. They are target-ing completely different end-usergroups.”
Private or semi-private networkswill thus be the hallmark of the newera. This change not only signifies anew attitude on the part of opera-tors. It also reflects significantadvances in Mobitex technologywith respect to both improving func-tionality and reducing infrastructurecosts. In any application where adedicated radio network is justifiableon economic grounds, Mobitexoffers significant advantages forboth end-users and operators.
Internet opportunities
David Neale is very optimistic aboutInternet related developments. Notonly is the Internet helping MOA tobecome a virtual organisation inwhich all members are constantlysharing ideas and experience. TheInternet is creating many businessopportunities for Mobitex opera-tors.
In fact, David Neale envisionsMobitex networks as subnets of theInternet. Currently there are techni-cal discussions in progress withinMOA concerning IP addressing for
Mobitex networks. He emphasisesthat this would in no way entailreplacing MAN numbers by IPaddresses. Rather, the basic ideabehind the proposal is to view eachMobitex network as a domain andto devise a scheme for mapping IPaddresses to MAN numbers.
When such a scheme is imple-mented, all Mobitex subscriberscould receive Internet addresses.Several Mobitex operators havealready implemented Internet gate-ways, and many more are planningto do so. With the growing popular-ity of push technology on theInternet, Mobitex is emerging as anideal medium for distribution ofinformation to mobile users.
Lucky year for Mobitex
The optimism and enthusiasm thatthe new MOA chairman and hisexecutive director feel is unmistak-able. David Neale and Jack Barseseem to believe that there are no lim-its to how far they can take Mobitextechnology. When asked to speculateon developments over the comingyear, both hint at major new net-work enhancements, new markets inall parts of the world and major newcustomers. “Of course,” they intonein unison, “any announcement atthis point would be premature.”
“Let’s just say that 1998 will be avery lucky year for Mobitex,” saysDavid Neale with a grin. “And bymy definition, luck is when timingmeets opportunity.” The opportuni-ties over the coming months are sig-nificant, and if timing is a questionof execution, MOA’s new leaders arecertainly ready and eager to beginthe work ahead. ■
22 mobile data magazine
▼ MOA members visiting Telecom Scandinavia ´98 in Gothenburg, Sweden
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Ever since I started using
the first early betas of
Ericsson’s Virtual Office
software nearly a year ago, I knew
it was possible. With the product
now shipping, I was taking the
plunge. It was time to go pure vir-
tual.
I looked nostalgically at the
desk in my home office where the
computer used to stand. The solid
oak desk, which had been passed
down in the family to my mother,
and now to me, was strangely
bare. It was a magnificent piece of
furniture, and I suddenly realised
that I had never liked seeing a
computer on it. Standing at the
front window of the apartment
overlooking the lake, it was a
place for reflection and writing.
“Mother!” I thought, stricken
with panic. Her birthday was on
Monday, and there had been too
many e-mails and too few phone
calls of late, not to mention visits.
There was just time to write a
card before leaving on my skiing
trip. Sitting at the big oak desk
and penning the words by hand
felt strange, but somehow com-
forting.
Going virtual and not having a
real office was slightly terrifying.
Joining several colleagues with
whom I had built up a loose net-
work over the years, I had now
taken the next step by setting up a
virtual company. I no longer had
a real office, but rather a user
account on a server somewhere
out in cyberspace.
Of course, I had to admit that I
was constantly on the road and
worked increasingly seldom from
my home office. Still, the prospect
of relying solely on the various
portable computing and wireless
communications devices that I
carry on my travels was somewhat
unsettling. Was this any way to
run a business?
The account manager for the
WTI MobileLogic services that
we were using assured me that it
was. My stories would reach the
editor, and I would receive new
assignments. The travel expenses
that I logged while on the road
would automatically update the
spreadsheets that the accountant
kept on my behalf. With the latest
workflow methods and wireless
data communications, the busi-
ness would run itself.
As I drove up into the moun-
tains, I pondered the meaning of
the words “pure virtual.” My pro-
grammer friends had explained to
me that this referred to a function
that was declared but never
defined in the base class. An
instance of the function was only
defined when it was needed in a
derived class; otherwise it didn’t
exist.
Perhaps it was the rarified
mountain air, but I suddenly felt
that this described my life. As a
roaming reporter, I was used to
performing a function in what
often seemed an arbitrary con-
text. Yet, did I exist for family and
friends, who had virtually no idea
of what I really did for a living?
I felt an almost overpowering
urge to stop the car and log on.
The Mobitex operator claimed
that coverage now rivalled cellular
in this remote mountain area, and
my fingers were itching to attempt
a connection. Nevertheless, I
drove on. I had resolved that this
weekend would be “not here/not
now” in terms of availability,
instead of the anywhere/anytime
life I normally led. If I hurried,
my friend and I could get in a few
runs on the slopes before it got
dark.
In the lodge after the final run,
I felt completely invigorated.
Sitting close to my friend with a
cup of hot chocolate warming
my hands, I realised that
this was real. I needed
a break, and if going
virtual was the way to
find quality time, it was
worth it. Tonight, I was
feeling neither wired nor
wireless. I wanted to get
unwired. Or was it unwound?
Whatever. I didn’t really
care. ■
mobile data magazine 23
W A N D A W A V E ´ S E T H E R E A L T A L E S
Pure vir tual
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Links.Mobitex information:
http://www.ericsson.se/mobitexhttp://www.uw.com.au/2mobitex.html
Mobitex e-mail addresses at Ericsson:Marketing and sales: [email protected]
Customer support: [email protected]
Ericsson links:Ericsson mobile systems: http:www.ericsson.com
Ericsson mobile data design: http:www.ericsson.se/mobitex
Mobitex operators & associations featured in this issue:United wireless, Australia: http://www.uw.com.au
RAM, The Netherlands: http://www.ram.nlRAM, UK: http://www.ram.co.ukRAM, USA: http://www.ram.com
St Mobile Data, Singapore: http://www.stmd.st.com.sg
Companies and Organisations featured in this issue:Mobilelogic: http://www.wiretel.comHonywell: http://www.honeywell.com
Manly counci: http://www.manly.nsw.gov.auWillougby council: http://www.slnsw.gov.au/plb/libs/willoughby
TV4: http://www.tv4.se
Mobitex information:http://www.ericsson.se/mobitex
http://www.uw.com.au/2mobitex.html
Mobitex e-mail addresses at Ericsson:Marketing and sales: [email protected]
Customer support: [email protected]
Ericsson links:Ericsson mobile systems: http:www.ericsson.com
Ericsson mobile data design: http:www.ericsson.se/mobitex
Mobitex operators & associations featured in this issue:United wireless, Australia: http://www.uw.com.au
RAM, The Netherlands: http://www.ram.nlRAM, UK: http://www.ram.co.ukRAM, USA: http://www.ram.com
St Mobile Data, Singapore: http://www.stmd.st.com.sg
Companies and Organisations featured in this issue:Mobilelogic: http://www.wiretel.comHonywell: http://www.honeywell.com
Manly counci: http://www.manly.nsw.gov.auWillougby council: http://www.slnsw.gov.au/plb/libs/willoughby
TV4: http://www.tv4.se
Ericsson Mobile Data Design ABS:t Sigfridsgatan 89S-412 66 GöteborgSwedenphone: +46 31 703 60 00fax: +46 31 703 60 33
Ericsson Mobile Data Design ABS:t Sigfridsgatan 89S-412 66 GöteborgSwedenphone: +46 31 703 60 00fax: +46 31 703 60 33
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