| FRIDAY - MARCH 25, 2005 - ISSUE NO. 157 | ||||
Dear friends of Wireless Messaging and Paging, For most of us in the northern hemisphere, the end of March signals the end of winter. Around here the trees are starting to show some growth and Easter flowers are starting to bloom. I have gone through enough winters to know that Spring is coming. This is a good time.
Did you know that you can have Amber alerts sent to your Pager, Cell Phone, or PDA by subscribing on the Code Amber™ web site? Code Amber now provides Amber Alerts for all 50 US States plus Puerto Rico and Canada. The service is supported by voluntary donations through PayPal. Welcome to another supporter of this newsletter. ERF Wireless designs, manufactures and markets transmitters, receivers, controllers, software and other equipment used in personal communications systems, as well as radio and telephone systems. Please see their new ad following below. Now on to the News and Views about Wireless Messaging. |
A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter gets posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the Internet. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Data companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers—so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get reader's comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Data communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my website. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it. NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0/ISO 8859-1.) | |||
| WIRELESS NEWS | |
Paging company's stock shows value By Abid Shah Shares of USA Mobility Inc. have performed solidly since the Alexandria pager company was formed in November, although the number of subscribers is shrinking. Its stock climbed to a high of $39.59 Wednesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, from $37.05 in November, when the nation's largest paging-services company was created from the merger of Arch Wireless Inc. and Metrocall Holdings Inc. For the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, the company announced a loss of $1.2 million (2 cents a share) compared with a pro-forma loss of $1.4 million (7 cents a share) a year earlier. Pro-forma data show what the company's financial status would have been if established a year earlier. The company's fourth-quarter revenue rose 4.7 percent to $141.3 million. However, the company reported during its Thursday conference call with investors that its subscriber base is shrinking: The company lost 314,000 messaging units in the fourth quarter and had 6.2 million units in service as of Dec. 31. Its stock slipped after the call and dropped an additional 48 cents to $33.22 yesterday. "There was a lack of clarity in pro-forma numbers, and [around] synergy between Arch and Metrocall ... there was no definite strategy for returning cash to shareholders, and no forward guidance," said Eric Green, director of research at Penn Capital Management in New Jersey. The paging industry in general is shrinking, analysts said. "Paging is kind of a dying industry," said Roberta Wiggins, an analyst with Boston consulting firm Yankee Group. "Because of the advent of cellular technology, and the mass market adoption of cellular technology . . . it is losing ground." The heyday of paging was in the late-1990s, when the industry peaked at 45 million customers, said Kenneth Hardman, counsel to the American Association of Paging Carriers, which does not represent USA Mobility Inc. "The industry was swelled by paging customers . . . that segment of the market has now shifted," Mr. Hardman said. "The paging industry has returned to its core customers: medical personnel, safety, fire personnel, first responders." "One reason . . . cellular technology took such a long time to take off was because youth had pagers," Mrs. Wiggins said. The company, despite losing subscribers, is still attractive to investors. "It is generating so much in free cash flow," Mr. Green said. "Even at this rate they can pay back their market capitalization in four years ... it was one of the best-performing stocks in the market till that point." One example: The company borrowed $125 million in November to merge Arch and Metrocall; it currently owes $40 million, and "will be debt free in a few months" and will "start paying dividend," Mr. Green said. Source: The Washington Times eGOware® Inc. Today Introduces Secure Medical Information Delivery/Notification A Secure and Virtual Communication Solution 2005-03-22 00:00:00 eGOware Medical Information Delivery/Notification enables hospitals/clinics, physicians, pharmacies, and transporters to securely deliver medical information and notifications to all those involved in the healthcare process through database automation. Secure Medical Information Delivery/Notification is a HIPAA compliant service, enabling its users to instantly communicate with all participants, no matter where they are located or what communication devices they use. (PressMethod)—"Information delivery and notification play a primary and critical role in the healthcare process. Our service is helping providers connect successfully in most any manner possible, instantly, effectively and securely, through database automation" said Ralph Conley, President of eGOware, Inc. "eGOware Secure Medical Information Delivery/Notification is destined to become a staple in the Healthcare industry due to its multiple uses and benefits. From automated patient calls to secure, encrypted doctor communications. From surgical documents distribution (version control) to digital X-ray/MRI delivery. From instant messaging of transporters and healthcare facilities to paging on-call surgeons, Secure Medical Information Delivery/Notification provides the answer. All in an automated private communication application," Conley added. Secure Medical Information Delivery/Notification empowers its users to virtually communicate and share information through a private and secure network that utilizes the Internet, existing Intranets and patient/provider databases. In one simple step, information and notifications can be delivered directly to any computer desktop through this private/secure network, as well as to landlines, cell phones, pagers, PDA's, Fax machines or email. Administrators are able to obtain and record digital signatures and usage reports, legally verifying message delivery, including date/time accessed on all information sent. For further information on Secure Medical Information Delivery/Notification, visit our site at www.healthcarealerts.net or www.eGOware.com. To speak with a representative or to schedule a demonstration, contact L. E. Shearer at (800) 472-7488 or by email at lshearer@eGOware.com. Secure Medical Information Delivery/Notification is powered by eGOware, Inc. Patents and patents pending apply. About eGOware CONTACT INFORMATION Source: Press Method Traffic jam? Text message gives notice By Sue Vorenberg About a month ago, Marita Spees signed up for a new service that sends out text messages to phones, e-mails, pagers and other devices whenever traffic gets bad at the I-40/Coors Boulevard interchange. Spees, an account executive who travels around town "a lot," says the service has become an essential part of her daily commutes. "You know about things before anybody else does—it's like having inside information," Spees said. "It's a great idea. I wish more people knew about it." When an accident occurs or construction ties up traffic, Spees' computer beeps to let her know she should avoid the massive construction project - before she leaves the office, she said. The free service could spread information about other intersections in Albuquerque and around the state soon, especially if the trial run at Coors and I-40 is successful, said Joan Griffin, a Transportation Department spokeswoman. "It's a nice, immediate service," Griffin said. "From the time something happens to within about 10 seconds we can blast a message to thousands of people." About 144,000 cars travel through that intersection each day. It is the second-busiest in the state, topped only by the Big-I, Griffin said. "We currently have about 500 people subscribed, but there's no limit," she said. "All we have to do is push a button, and a message goes out. A lot of construction happens in that area overnight. We can shoot out a message and let people know when they won't be able to get on the freeway." The service was invented by Contact Wireless, an Albuquerque paging company headed by John Word. Word said he has applied for a patent on the software, which can send text messages to any device, not just a pager. "The state has been really pleased with it, and people are saying its pretty helpful," Word said. "All they have to do is pick up the phone and leave a voice message, and our software translates it into text and sends it out to all the subscribers." Some local hair stylists have started using the service to send messages to customers when they have surprise openings, Word said. The company also has been talking with Albuquerque Public Schools about using the service to tell parents and school officials about snow days and school delays, he said. "Basically anything that can get a text message we can send to—PDAs, cell phones, even lighted LED signs," Word said. "We're even looking at a new service that can page city sprinkler systems and turn them all off when it's raining." The company sells the service to businesses for between $15 and $60 a month through a special Web site at www.notifyall.com. Commuters who want to sign up for the traffic notifications can do so for free through the Gov. Bill Richardson's Investment Partnership Web site at www.nmgrip.com and clicking on the I-40/Coors logo. Source: Albuquerque Tribune Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) Initiative Part II: Rendering Architecture, Information Services & Developer Potential Summary Source: NET Developer's Journal Source: NET Developer's Journal News roundup from CTIA Wireless 2005 Written by SymbianOne Wednesday, 23 March 2005 AOL announced a suite of products and mobile services designed to enable users to wirelessly insert photographs into IM sessions sent over the air (OTA). Billed as the Mobile Picture Messaging Service, the next release will also provide users with the ability to initiate and reply to picture messages quickly and easily through a buddy list on the mobile handset – of course you’ll need to be an AOL mobile user. AOL also announced a new MapQuest® mobile service including MapQuest® Traffic™ and MapQuest® Find Me™. MapQuest's new MapQuest Find Me service uses GPS-location-enabled phones to help consumers pinpoint their locations on their phones, share their location with others via text messaging, find nearby locations, and get maps and directions. MapQuest's new MapQuest Traffic service gives users live traffic data for 90 metropolitan areas in the U.S. With MapQuest Traffic, drivers can easily access up-to-date traffic information through their mobile phones so that they can plan alternate routes based on real-time Track your Pooch with a GPS tracking solution from Syniverse. This Global pet finder solution comes with a GPS transmitter and GPS radio that can be mounted on a dog’s collar. The radio sends a message when Rover strays from the yard and leaves a predetermined fenced area. The user receives an SMS message on his mobile with a notification that the pooch has left the fenced area. http://www.syniverse.com/ Telcontar and Telcontar partners were on hand demonstrating location-based applications for navigation, tracking and mobile asset management. The applications can be delivered to multiple devices, including cell phones, computer workstations, web browsers, PDA's, Pocket PC's, and vehicle telematics units. Recall Telcontar powers the industry's leading mapping and local search services, including Yahoo!, Google, Ask Jeeves, Rand McNally, Motorola VIAMOTO™ and Hutchison 3G wireless. They just announced this week that they will complement Lucent's LBS services, based on the their Drill Down Server geo-spatial software platform. http://www.telcontar.com/ Wherify Wireless, Inc. will was on hand at cTIA whowing the Wherifone G550® GSM/Enhanced-GPS Locator Phone. Weighing only 2.5 ounces and about the size of a business card, the Wherifone is the world's smallest GSM Locator Phone. The Wherifone combines GSM voice technology and precision on-demand Enhanced-Global Positioning Satellite (E-GPS) technology enabled by Wherify to provide emergency 911 and other location services that will bring added safety and peace-of-mind for families with children and persons of special needs, and seniors. According to the company, the Wherifone will be available in the United States starting in the Spring of this year via a combined service offering with MedicAlert. See http://www.wherify.com MapInfo has announced a new version of MapX Mobile (v5.0), used for creating customized maps on handheld devices. MapX Mobile enables organizations in many different vertical markets to receive, view and analyze location data wherever critical decisions are made—in the field and across the enterprise. For example, an insurer would use MapX Mobile for on site risk assessment, and telecommunications service engineers would identify where underground equipment is located for “call before you dig” analysis. http://www.mapinfo.com Source: SymbianOne US wireless communications market to grow 9.3%, generate $158.6 bln in 2005 March 16, 2005 IT Facts—Total US spending on wireless communications will grow by 9.3% in 2005, achieving a total of $158.6 bln, according to Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The report predicts the wireless market will reach $212.5 bln by 2008, with a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2005 to 2008.Revenues in 2004 totaled $145.1 bln, up 11.6% from 2003. The increase in 2004 marked a return to double-digit growth following a dip to mid-single digits in 2003. This uptick in wireless communications spending was driven by faster growth in handset revenue from new models, increased revenue from Wi-Fi equipment and a rebound in support services.TIA predicts that the US wireless subscriber base (wireless telephony and paging) will continue to expand, but at single-digit rather than double-digit rates. Source: IT Facts Charles Sirois gets payout from sale of TIW to British-based Vodafone 08:41 AM EST Mar 25 MONTREAL (CP)—Charles Sirois, the former high-flying Quebec entrepreneur, should soon be able to afford more fast cars and diamond-studded watches. The sale of Telesystem International Wireless Inc., which Sirois founded in 1991 and in which he still had a small stake, is expected to boost his bank account by more than $100 million. TIW was about all that remained of the former vast empire begun by Sirois, 50, who resigned last July as chairman of the company he had founded 10 years earlier. TIW announced Tuesday it is selling its Romanian and Czech mobile phone companies to British-based Vodafone Group for $3.5 billion US in cash, plus assumption of $950 million US of debt. Sirois, who at one point had built TIW into a private holding with stakes in 12 companies, was forced to give up control of TIW in 2001 after it fell on hard times. Sirois was one of Quebec's best-known businessmen when he headed Teleglobe Canada in the 1990s before he sold outright control of the company to former BCE Inc. chairman Jean Monty for $7.4 billion in 2000. In one interview shortly after his appointment as president, Sirois talked about the pride in which he held his 12-cylinder Jaguar and his diamond-studded Faberge watch. But he also called himself a "classical Quebecois who was born in rural Chicoutimi, married at 19 years of age and has two children." Sirois first got involved in the telephone pager business with his father in the late 1970s. His National Pagette became the largest Canadian paging operator by 1986. A year later, he merged with Bell Cellular to create BCE Mobile Communications. He was given a sizable portion of the new company's stock and agreed to run the firm for two years. In 1990, Sirois quit BCE Mobile and put together his own telecommunications company called National Telesystem. He also showed his wizardry at raising money when he formed his own merchant bank, Corporation Financiere Intermedia. In November 1991, he bought eight per cent of Teleglobe shares from BCE in exchange for cash and 1.4 million of his BCE Mobile shares. Some observers believed Sirois might have political aspirations, especially when Jean Charest recruited him in 1998, the year Charest became leader of the Quebec Liberal party, to find new blood for the provincial party. Sirois was meant to go head-hunting for big-name personalities who would run for Charest's party but he was unable to find very many. Charest went on to become premier in 2003. A year later, in 1999, Sirois turned his hand to writing, publishing Passage Oblige, a book that blasted governments for not keeping up with the times. He suggested governments should scrap the various public assistance programs and instead offer everyone a sum of money every year to manage as they want. "Look out, because if governments don't change their way of managing, we're on our way to social bankruptcy and the ruin of citizens," he said in an interview. Since then, Sirois has not granted many interviews. Source: CBC News |
| READERS COMMENTS |
Dear PTC Members: Below is the draft Agenda for the PTC meeting to be held on April 5th in Las Vegas. The meeting room will be N101 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. If you have not done so, please let me know if you are attending so I can get final count for refreshment services. Lunch is included in the attendance fee (OK, the fee is zero but I wanted to get your attention). This meeting is being sponsored by Sun Telecom so let's make sure we give them a big thanks for their help!! 8:00 - 8:30 Continental Breakfast Thanks, Stephen M. Oshinsky |
I have built two web pages about Mountain Communications in Mountain Home, Arkansas—a regional Paging company that the owner wants to sell. The first page has several photos and some links to background information on the company. Please click here for that page. If you like what you see and want to read all the financial details, please send me an e-mail and I will send you the unpublished address of the second page. This is an outstanding opportunity for someone to acquire a Paging company in a beautiful resort area of the Arkansas mountains where there are several large lakes and rivers. They tell me the fishing and boating are great in that area. By the way, this business also includes some wireless broadband, a trunking radio system, and a two-way radio dealership. |
Equipment Needed—Want to Buy the following
Please contact Brad Dye if you have any of this equipment to sell. Equipment located outside of the USA is OK. |
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THIRD TERM SUPPORTER |  Building on its long success story in 1-way Paging, Advantra International has become the expert in designing and manufacturing the most advanced and lowest cost ReFLEX™ radio modems for 2-way data-communication. The company also focuses on offering total telemetry solutions. Advantra’s current product mix of own products includes the ReFLEX™ radio modules Barran, Karli and Wirlki and the new, highly successful and very low cost location device, the Kepler. Advantra thanks its solid reputation to its world-renowned development team, state-of-the-art manufacturing, excellent customer service and its proven track-record. Location Devices & ReFLEX Modems
Sales and Marketing Contacts
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Newsletter repair prices—starting at:
**Special pricing on cellular and pager refurbishment**
Ask for Special Newsletter Pricing. Please call: (800) 222-6075 ext. 306 for pricing.
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eRF
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Daviscomms—Product Examples For information about our Contract Manufacturing services or our Pager or Telemetry line, please call Bob Popow at 480-515-2344, bob@daviscommsusa.com or visit our website www.daviscommsusa.com
|  Prism Message Gateway Systems Your Choice of Options
Popular Choice for Domestic and International
Logical Choice
Go ahead . . . be choosy . . . choose Prism Systems International
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Intelligent Paging & Mobile Data Products
Selective is a developer and manufacturer of highly innovative Paging receiver/decoders and mobile data equipment including the PDT2000 Paging Data Terminal, THE MOST INTELLIGENT PAGING RECEIVER IN THE MARKET. The PDT2000 is a large display pager designed for desktop or in-vehicle mounting and is widely used by emergency services and in onsite Paging systems for forklift dispatch etc. All of the following capabilities are standard features of the PDT2000 and of our other Paging data receivers:
Our mobile data equipment includes a range of intelligent Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) which may be interfaced to a variety of wireless networks including GPRS & CDMA cellular. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and GPS solutions, Dispatch & Messaging software. We offer mobile communications dealers and systems integrators a “fast to market” job dispatch and job management capability with the inbuilt job processing system which may be interfaced to a variety of CAD & JMS Specialised local area Paging systems, Paging interception and message reprocessing software, field force automation and mobile dispatch solutions. We do custom product development and export worldwide.
I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for Selective Communications. Please contact me directly for any additional information. | TGA Technologies 
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CUSTOM APPLICATIONS
Please call me so we can discuss your need or your idea. Or contact me by e-mail for additional information. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Remember that old word “Residuals”? The EE Group is actively seeking Dealers with sales/ service/installation capabilities to promote the latest wireless AVL, SCADA and data products from Telegauge Systems, Inc. This innovative program requires NO inventory and NO billing by your facility; you just sell it and sign up the end user to collect the commissions. Now the real reason to choose the EE Group and Telegauge over the host of others; we pay you permanent residual income every month on your airtime sales forever. Airtime commissions range up to 12% per month based on prior sales and you buy all equipment direct from the factory at 2-tiered wholesale prices as well for great margins. Telegauge builds fully 2-way overt and covert (hidden) GPS based Automatic Vehicle Location, SCADA, remote management, telemetry and data systems routed via cellular and satellite that are delivered to the end user via the Internet or direct to the desktop. Applications are both ‘canned’ and custom depending upon the customers needs. We even have full dispatch systems including credit card swipe and billing if needed. Finally, the prices on the product are guaranteed to be the LOWEST in the industry at under $600 retail for the equipment and from $6 to $30 on the monthly airtime with most customers in the $15 range. Note too that the price is the same for cellular OR satellite world wide coverage and no one else has this exclusive capability. Telegauge provides the product, software, airtime, billing and final information from a single source and you can be a BIG part of it. You stock NOTHING, just collect the checks. We are paid by the manufacturer to support YOU and unlike other factories; we never bid against you, restrict you or take your deal. We help you with demo equipment, brochures, information, sales assistance, web advertising and user name/passwords for the website so that you don’t even need to buy anything to start up fast. Contact us for a no-obligation CD of all the presentation and training material, price spreadsheets and information at: EEGroup@EEonTheWeb.com or for fast action call for a link to the Dealers Only page: 310-534-4456 and mention that you found out about it via Brad Dye’s Newsletter. You have nothing to lose and some great residual income to gain. Call or e-mail NOW. | PAGING TRANSMITTERS FOR SALE MOTOROLA NUCLEUS—350 WATT VHF MOTOROLA PURC 5000—250 WATT UHF GLENAYRE T-8500 AND T-8600 900 MHz For Information please e-mail or call: Stephan J. Suker E-mail: steves@cvcpaging.com Telephone: 802-775-6726 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wireless Overview System Operation Payment Guardian requires absolutely no customer interaction and integrated seamlessly into the vehicles electrical system and is not visible to the customer, decreasing the possibility of tampering. Unlike other similar products on the market, Payment Guardian™ requires no keypads or input devices, eliminating the hassle of having to generate codes and giving those codes to the customer each and every payment cycle. With Payment Guardian?, lenders no longer have to rely on customers to enter codes into a keypad correctly. With Payment Guardian, only non paying customers require use of the system. Once the system has been activated in the customer’s vehicle—each time the ignition is turned to the OFF position, Payment Guardian reminds the customer that payment has not yet been received or insurance is not current and provides them with specific instructions to contact the leinholder immediately. If the reminder is ignored, you can simply activate Payment Guardian’s Starter Interrupt feature allowing no one to start the vehicle until the system is reset. Payment Guardian’s system control center has been designed to meet the different need of individual lenders and dealers that want a total customized solution to manage their systems, providing you with 3 different ways to use the systems features. This enables you to instantly activate system features, schedule activations to occur at a preset time or completely automate the systems features, allow you to just manage your systems with just a click of the mouse. System Features Audible Voice Reminder Starter Interrupt Emergency Override Vehicle Finder Door Unlock
| High-speed simulcast Paging with protocols such as POCSAG and FLEX™ requires microsecond accuracy to synchronize the transmission of digital Paging signals.  Zetron's Simulcast System uses GPS timing information to ensure that the broadcasted transmissions between the nodes of the Simulcast System and associated transmitters are synchronized to very tight tolerances. This system is ideal for public or private Paging system operators that use multiple transmitters and wish to create new Paging systems or to build out existing systems into new regions. For more information about Zetron's High Speed Simulcast Paging System, the Model 600 and Model 620, go to: www.zetron.com/paging.
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Advertise Here Your company's logo and product promotion can appear right here for 6 months. It only costs $500 for a full-size ad in 26 issues—that's $19.23 an issue. (6 month minimum run.) Details about the various advertising plans can be read here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wireless Messaging Software InfoRad® Wireless Office (Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP) is designed for the professional who needs full-featured wireless messaging capabilities. Features include enhanced user interface, message log with search function, scheduled Paging, group and individual message addresses, TAPI Smart™, multiple protocol SMS communication compatibility. AlphaCare™ support services available. With a 32-bit architecture, InfoRad Wireless Office is designed for compatibility with Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. For more information on InfoRad Wireless Messaging software, and a free demo, please click on the logo.
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www.gtesinc.com GTES is the only Glenayre authorized software support provider in the Paging industry. With over 200 years of combined experience in Glenayre hardware and software support, GTES offers the industry the most professional support and engineering development staff available. New Product Development New Hardware Platform
Continued Support Programs GTES Partner Program CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS
|  Wireless Communication Solutions The Hark ISI-400LX is a hardware device that encapsulates serial data into TCP/IP for transmission over the Internet. It can also be configured to convert incoming TAP messages from the serial port and send them over the Internet to Paging providers in email (SMTP) or Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP) format. The ISI-400LX with the optional external modem can connect to a secondary dial-up ISP when a failure on the ethernet port is detected.
This device is the perfect companion for the Hark Gateway products. An ISI can be located at a remote location for receiving TAP, TNPP, or Billing traffic using a local ISP eliminating long distance phone charges.
System Features & Benefits:
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Choosing a crisis notification system
There are a growing number of crisis communications solutions on the market, so how do business continuity managers set about choosing the best one for their organisation? Kathy Veldboom provides a checklist of key considerations.
Are you confident that the right people in your organisation can be contacted to respond to any number of possible scenarios? Can you do it quickly and reliably, every time? Software solutions that automate the notification process are now powerful and reliable enough to implement and manage the notification process enterprise-wide. The choices are many, however, and deciding which one to buy can be a daunting task.
The best systems are flexible and template-driven, allowing administrators to pre-plan the notification process including ‘calling trees’ for any number of scenarios such as national emergencies, code events, hazardous material spills, staffing shortages, natural disasters and fires. They also allow users to communicate ‘everyday’ notices such as public announcements and meeting notices.
Critical procedures
Critical events require critical notification and response assessment procedures including:
The entire notification process must be managed, monitored and tracked.
Features of an automated system
When looking at various emergency notification software packages, be sure that the system is scalable, standards-based and highly configurable to meet your evolving needs. A robust notification system should be capable of integrating to virtually all phone switches and paging systems and support a multitude of protocols, devices, and rules.
Other key factors to consider:
Premise systems or hosted services?
Most notification providers offer a hosted model, providing a web-based notification package requiring no special equipment at the customer site (other than standard computers and browsers) and charging fees based on usage.
For organisations whose notification needs are mission-critical and complex, a dedicated premise system might be a better solution. Premise systems reside at the customer site and are completely owned by the customer, providing the utmost in flexibility and control. They are ideal for users who have everyday notification requirements in addition to emergency planning needs.
Some organisations will want a ‘blended’ package incorporating both a premise system and a hosted service. Ask your system provider if a blended solution is available.
System data
The notification data (recipient names, contact devices and numbers, and more) is key to the functioning of the system. Be sure to evaluate the robustness of the database underlying your vendor’s notification system. A market-proven relational database such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL will ensure optimum reliability and programmability, while ‘flat’ databases will limit a system’s ability to handle complex procedures, locate people on the move and process incoming responses.
System protection
What if an emergency event disables portions of your on-site notification system? Your system vendor should provide resiliency options such as an off-site standby server. In the event that the actual emergency event disables portions of the system, traffic would be re-directed to the standby. Additionally, a hosted (offsite) notification service can serve as a backup for premise-based notification systems.
Provisioning the system for major events
Your system provider should lead you through provisioning to ensure that your notification system is properly sized. Also ask about options to ensure system availability such as specifying a fault tolerant hosting infrastructure, hosted service backup, and working with your organisation’s disaster recovery experts to determine how the system will be protected during an event.
Not just for emergencies
FEMA defines an emergency as “any unplanned event that can cause death or significant injuries to employees, customers or the public; or that can shut down your business, disrupt operations, cause physical or environmental damage, or threaten the facility’s financial standing or public image.”
However, notification and response systems can also have a time and budget-saving role in everyday communications along with training, testing and measuring communication plans for critical events. Some systems include components such as on-call scheduling and group messaging. Routine uses of these systems—such as calling responders to see if they’re available for duty or notifying staff of a meeting—can be key factors in justifying purchase of the software.
Kathy Veldboom is chief operating officer of Amcom Software, Inc. and has held prior positions as a trainer, installation technician and systems analyst, performing more than 140 customer system installations and servicing more than 300 clients. Veldboom has spoken about automated notification at several conferences including HIMSS, ACUTA, SASKMUG, INNMUG and Purdue University Call Center Campus. She can be reached at 800-852-8935 or 952-946-7715. www.amcomsoft.com
Source: Continuity Central
Gaining Control Over The Wireless Explosion March 14, 2005
InnerWireless system lets customers manage a wide variety of applications
As wireless communication becomes a bigger part of everyday business, the challenge of managing a wide variety of wireless signals—cell phones, pagers, two-way radios, wireless data, security cameras, and even wireless thermostats—becomes increasingly difficult. Few establishments face a greater challenge than the Time Warner Center, a new 2.8 million-square-foot complex in Manhattan that features shops, restaurants, a hotel, condos, a jazz center, and broadcast studios for CNN.
 The Time Warner Center wants to make sure that visitors and tenants can receive wireless signals wherever they roam. Photo by Sacha Lecca | To ensure that its guests, customers, residents, and commercial tenants can receive wireless signals wherever they are in the center's 55 floors, the building's management team tapped InnerWireless Inc. and its "wireless utility" technology, which is designed to distribute signals for as many as 13 wireless applications that use radio frequencies ranging from 400 MHz to 2.5 GHz. "We were excited about not needing to set up various different networks," says David Heckaman, former regional director of IT for the center's Mandarin Oriental Hotel who's now an independent consultant. The system uses coaxial cable snaking throughout the building to carry and radiate the wireless signals, as well as access points on each floor. All of the center's communications, including messaging, paging, two-way radios, police and fire communications, and Wi-Fi data access, are plugged into the system. |
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which uses the top 20 floors of one of the center's two towers, faces additional challenges. Its height makes it more difficult to receive strong cellular signals, Heckaman says. But all of the major cellular carriers are linked with the InnerWireless system through cables connected to base stations in the basement, so visitors and guests can get a signal in any part of the building. "This particular aspect is very attractive to our hotel visitors and condo residents," he says.
"What makes InnerWireless different is that it doesn't tie [companies] to a single technology like a wireless LAN and doesn't force them to set up several different systems," says Iain Gillott, president of iGillott Research. "This gives the building owner more control over what networks they offer in the building."
The University of Chicago Hospitals deployed an InnerWireless system in a children's hospital it opened last month. CIO Eric Yablonka chose the technology because "it's a single wireless-distribution system for all of our applications," from pagers to patient monitors. "Since paging is a heavily used application in hospitals, it's important to have all paging systems tied into this single utility," he says. The hospital also has integrated patient monitors with the nurse call system, enabling a faster response from nurses who are connected to the system via wireless IP telephones. There are more than 100 such telephones in the hospital.
Since the hospital also rolled out Wi-Fi and cellular services, patients' families can use notebook computers to access the Internet or E-mail and receive and make cell calls anywhere in the hospital, Yablonka says. The system has proven to be so successful that the University of Chicago Hospitals has decided to retrofit its adult hospital with the same technology.
Cost for the InnerWireless system ranges from $1 to $2 per square foot of coverage.
Source: InformationWeek
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TAPS—Texas Association of Paging Services is looking for partners on 152.480 MHz. Our association currently uses Echostar, formerly Spacecom, for distribution of our data and a large percentage of our members use the satellite to key their TXs. We have a CommOneSystems Gateway at the uplink in Chicago with a back-up running 24/7. Our data is live on two different satellites at all times in case of a failure of one of them and covers the North American Continent. Our Paging coverage area on 152.480 MHz currently encompasses Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Kansas. The TAPS Paging coverage is available to members of our Network on 152.480 MHz for $.005 a transmitter (per capcode, per month) broken down by state or regions of states and members receive a credit towards their bill for each transmitter which they provide to our coverage. Members are able to use the satellite for their own use, for their own frequencies, by paying only for the data which they transmit, we track the data on a per bit basis and what ever percentage of the total data sent by each user is billed back to them as a percentage of the total satellite bill, (ex: if 6% of the data is the members', the member is billed for 6% of the cost of the sat plus 10% for overhead.) If you are on 152.480 MHz or just need a satellite for keying your own TXs on your frequency we have the solution for you. TAPS will provide the gateways in Chicago, with Internet backbone and bandwidth on our satellite channel for $500.00 to $1,500.00 a month (depending on the amount of traffic). Contact Ted Gaetjen @ 1-800-460-7243 or tedasap@asapchoice.com |
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| Wi-Fi, WiMax, and VoIP News |
Cities, Internet giants fight over wireless turf
By Robert Perez
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 24 2005
Cyber-savvy cities across Central Florida are eager to bring wireless Internet to the masses. From Port Orange to St. Cloud, wi-fi is seen as a vital service, like electricity or the telephone. And city officials want to be the ones providing it to their residents.
But three bills working their way through the Florida Legislature would effectively block local governments from fulfilling their cyber mission.
Backed by telecommunications heavyweights including Verizon Communications Inc. and Bright House Networks, the House and Senate bills aim to keep cities from launching wireless networks. They also would stop those that already offer it, such as Orlando and St. Cloud, from expanding the service further.
The proposed limits on city wi-fi are part of a larger bill that would limit public-sector involvement in a number of businesses, including cable TV and broadband services.
Proponents of the bills say government shouldn't compete against private enterprise, because it has an unfair advantage -- chiefly, it doesn't pay taxes.
But critics say decisions about such things as Internet access shouldn't be based on some company's bottom line. They say cities, because they are not motivated by profit, can open the information highway across social and economic lines.
"Broadband access is going to be, if not freely available, then cheaply available at some point," Winter Springs City Commissioner Michael Blake said. "Winter Springs should be at the beginning of that train, not at the end."
Blake's vision of a citywide wireless system was set back last week when the House utilities and telecommunications committee voted 12-1 in favor of moving one of the bills forward. The House finance and tax committee is expected to discuss that bill next week.
The sponsor of a similar bill in the state Senate said he is pushing both sides to find a compromise and avoid a winner-take-all approach, but he hasn't had much success.
"At this point, neither side is budging," said Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs.
Legislative efforts to rein in cities aren't unique to the Sunshine State. Similar bills have been introduced in nine other state legislatures this year. Last year, the battle played out in Pennsylvania, where Philadelphia announced its intentions to become a wireless city.
After a long and bitter fight, a state law was passed effectively banning city wi-fi systems without industry approval. But the ban isn't effective until 2006. By then, Philadelphia plans to have much of its system in place.
The appeal to cities is that wi-fi provides residents with a quality-of-life amenity, creates "digital equity" among those residents and makes cities more attractive to business, said Jim Baller, senior principal with Baller Herbst Law Group, which works with cities to set up wi-fi systems.
He bristles at the thought of telecommunications giants such as Verizon or Sprint pushing legislation to limit city-run wi-fi systems.
"Who the heck are these large incumbents to tell them they can't do that, and get legislators to pass laws to handcuff them," Baller said.
Verizon would support working with cities to create wi-fi networks, company spokesman Bob Eleck said, "but municipalities getting into it [on their own] is not the best use of taxpayer dollars.
"Just like government can help the hungry without opening a supermarket," he said, "it can help people without Internet access without getting into the business."
One industry analyst said it would be futile trying to stop public networks.
"The train has already left the station," said Charles Golvin, principal analyst for Forrester Research Inc.
A March survey by MuniWireless.com found 42 U.S. cities with some form of wireless service and nine more that plan to start one. Twenty-five cities have wireless systems for public safety or city employees only.
"Clearly, there is a conflict between the agenda local government might have in building a network and an incumbent provider," Golvin said. "They're certainly competitive. Incumbent providers like Verizon see it as a threat."
Cities vary on whether to charge residents for Internet access, but most view providing wi-fi as they would any city service, such as libraries or parks.
"It's no different than providing ball fields," said Paul Kaskey, St. Cloud's city manager.
St. Cloud is one of a handful of Central Florida cities that have jumped on the wi-fi bandwagon. The 9-square-mile city began service downtown last year and hopes to expand it citywide.
"Times have changed," Kaskey said. "We did a survey that found 80 percent of our households have computers, but only 60 percent have Internet access."
St. Cloud residents have responded. O'Doherty's Irish Pub in downtown St. Cloud draws a daily lunchtime crowd that includes several city wi-fi users, owner Teresa O'Doherty said.
Orlando provides wi-fi downtown along parts of Orange Avenue and around Lake Eola Park. It has no plans to stop the service, a city spokeswoman said.
The wi-fi came in handy this week for Sam Etheridge of Albuquerque, N.M. The restaurateur, who was visiting Orlando, needed to work on the company books.
So while his wife, Yvonne, drove around downtown Tuesday morning, her husband sat in the back of their car with his laptop computer, hoping to pick up the signal from a wi-fi hot spot. They found it along Washington Street, near Summerlin Avenue.
Winter Springs, Port Orange and Casselberry also are looking into creating networks, though Casselberry is talking about the service coming from a private venture.
"People don't care if their connection comes from Verizon, Sprint or the city of Winter Springs," said Blake, the Winter Springs commissioner.
The issue is more than about a city's ability to provide a needed service, he said. There's also social equity and a need to be competitive in the global market.
"This is going to be a long battle, and I have no doubt we'll win in the end," Blake said. "But I don't want the state to fall farther behind while we get there."
Meanwhile, city officials have to consider one other issue about wi-fi: security. Sophisticated criminals could use the networks to shield their identities because their cyber-tracks would lead back only to the wi-fi system. They also could pose as a wi-fi hub and glean information from unsuspecting users.
"They will set up a high-power antenna to overpower the host and masquerade as the hub," Orlando police Detective Charles Troell said. "Now you're going through this guy's computer."
Robert Perez can be reached at rperez at orlandosentinel.com or 407-772-8046.
Source: Sun-Sentinel
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