By Bill Carlin
February 21, 2005
Front Lines is a guest viewpoint section offering perspectives on current issues and events from people working on the front lines of Canada's technology industry. Bill Carlin is the CEO of Spotwave Wireless, a provider of carrier-approved indoor wireless coverage solutions for wireless carriers and enterprises across North America.
Many Canadian companies doing business nationally or even globally recognize the need to have a presence in most major metropolitan markets. And since it isn't always cost-effective to build an office and hire multiple employees in each city, businesses depend on a mobile work force to grow their customer base.
These "road-warriors" usually have a home office base equipped with technology and devices that best keep them in touch with the head office — their laptop, cellphone and PDA. Wireless technology in particular has enabled mobile workers to instantly communicate with their corporate headquarters any time, anywhere. One of the most valuable ways to increase field employee productivity is to enable enterprise applications on their mobile devices.
By extending this data into the field, remote employees enjoy the benefits of being in the office, while working directly with their customers. Wireless devices mean workers can access and update customer information and service records without having to rush back to their home office to input data on a desktop computer. They also have instant access to the latest inventory information and can see shared files, forms, and other critical corporate documents in real-time.
Wireless devices mean data can be collected, managed and moved on-the-go, faster than ever before with fewer errors. In essence, wireless technology means mobile workers remained tethered to their head office no matter where they are located, with clear productivity benefits.
So what happens when these wireless tools won't work?
Companies spend millions of dollars investing in wireless tools like mobile phones, PDAs, and wireless-enabled laptops to ensure efficiency and productivity from their employees, regardless of location. However, connectivity requires reliable wireless coverage where these devices are used most — indoors.
For years, remote workers have simply moved closer to the window or gone outside to get enough signal to carry on a conversation. However, with growing dependence on wireless data services, a weak signal can mean incomplete or slow data throughput, impacting the efficiency and productivity gains the technology was put in place to ensure.
Although significant strides have been made to improve outdoor macro level coverage — you don't travel far down any Canadian highway without seeing a wireless tower — great coverage outside doesn't always mean great coverage inside. Building materials like concrete and tinted glass, or even the location of many home offices — in dense, urban markets, or in a fringe area of the macro network — can compromise indoor coverage. For mobile workers, not being able to work from the home office poses a significant challenge.
There are varying solutions available to address indoor wireless coverage; however, few target the small or home office. Complex solutions, such as distributed antenna systems (DAS), are designed to cover very large buildings like office towers or airports. This type of offering requires a complex design engineering process, and does not scale well to smaller coverage areas, so it's not a financially or technically viable option for a small business or home office.
Some smaller solutions that claim to be suitable to boost coverage in a smaller area are also problematic because they are not approved by wireless carriers. Carriers like Bell Mobility, TELUS Mobility and Rogers Wireless invest millions of dollars to maintain the integrity of their wireless networks — their most valuable asset. As such, it is understandable that carriers are concerned about products that might affect their network performance. For this reason, wireless customers are prohibited from using any product that could interfere with a carrier's licensed spectrum. Installing a product that hasn't been carrier approved means you run the risk of disrupting your wireless signal, or having a carrier demand removal of a system it hasn't certified.
Mobile workers are looking to ensure they have good wireless coverage in an area that is typically smaller than 3,000 square feet, guaranteeing they will be able to receive wireless information where and when they need it, without worrying about interfering with their wireless network. Without coverage, they cannot do business. If you're responsible for ensuring reliable wireless communications between your company's mobile workers and the head office, here are some questions you should consider:
When you take the edge of your network indoors, it's impossible to know what's going to happen — coverage could be good, or it could be terrible. Time of day, building materials, and geographic location are variables affecting indoor coverage, beyond your control.
Canadian businesses need to consider this when enabling wireless applications for their field teams. Wireless carriers have provided coverage, but it's up to you to ensure it works where your mobile work force uses it the most — the satellite or home office.
A good bet is to contact your wireless carrier. They know what solutions are available and approved, and can help you find the technology that will ensure your wireless applications and the people who are using them are consistently productive.
