Mobile tech makes life easier for field engineers

The equipment
Most cell phone manufacturers now offer a combined PDA cell phone. The choice of operating system is one to take seriously. It's a poor idea to simply pick a handset that's offered by a dealer who has stock to clear. Also check whether your chosen network provider has good coverage of the area in which you operate. It's useless to roll out a system your engineers can't use for substantial parts of their working day due to dead reception spots. General packet radio service (GPRS) is a must, both from the cost angle and data transfer speeds. You won't be sending large amounts of data to the handheld, but it's still very slow and expensive to rely on dialup.

Third-generation mobile technology is even better. With transfer rates of 468 kbps available in the UK, imaging becomes a practical option, although coverage still needs to be improved, especially in coastal and rural areas. Most of all, a PDA is usually a tradeoff between usability and portability. If the screen is large enough to display all the required information, the handset will probably be too bulky to carry easily. The one I have is not of the first quality; the screen is as large as can be accommodated on the device, yet sometimes I need to change my glasses to read the fine detail. The application used by my company has some shortfalls, too, not least of which is the lack of any option to resize the text on screen. Overall though, having my work arrive onscreen rather than via a phone call is an improvement. When the office used to call me with a problem, it was usually when I couldn't write anything down, halfway through a 60-mile motorway journey or while struggling along a city street with both hands full of toolboxes and spare parts.

Rollout and support
If you expect to roll out a mobile data solution overnight, think again. The rollout can be a slow and painful process, leading to some frayed tempers. Again, it's vitally important to maintain top quality communication and support. No matter how many eventualities you plan for, there will be unforeseen problems, while some things you thought would be problematic will go smoothly.

Support after the rollout is vital. It's no longer a simple matter of taking a phone call and writing down information. There are now procedures to follow that are essential to the success of operations. Many companies make a huge mistake by neglecting to train new members of the team, relying on colleagues to show them the ropes. This is fine, but bad habits can be passed on in this way. It's far better to make sure that part of any induction includes a briefing in the use of the equipment.

The technology
Mobile data technology has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years. Eight years ago, there was only one option for a data connection, GSM dialup at 9600 bps. You attached your GSM mobile phone to the serial port of a laptop or a PCMCIA modem card and dialed in, collected data, and rang off as quickly as possible, as the charges were phenomenal.

Next came HSCSD, high speed circuit switched data, a method by which you could bundle two or more carriers to increase the data rate, similar to dialup ISDN. This could achieve speeds of 19200 bps. It still had the disadvantage of being a dialup service, charged by the minute, but it was at least a little faster.

Then came the big breakthrough, GPRS. This offers rates of usually 28.8 kbps, although it can be faster, in theory. The big advantage is that it's connectionless, so the carrier can stay connected and you pay only for the amount of data transferred. This makes it possible to use a PDA or a GPRS-equipped laptop to send out job assignments in real time.

Third-generation mobile is deploying in the UK at the moment. Networks such as Three and Vodafone have offerings, providing us with the mobile equivalent of broadband, with Three claiming data rates of 473 kbps.

The applications
So what applications are available for use on these mobile devices? Mostly, they are custom tracking packages, but there are also off-the-shelf systems, like Seibel and Antenna, which are user configurable. Whether you're delivering flowers, repairing laundry machines, or taking parcels, there's something for you. The most important thing is to flowchart all your work processes and clearly define your working procedures so that you allow for every eventuality. When you change from a direct contact solution to an automated one, you take human intelligence -- and plain old common sense -- out of the equation, so it's critical that your system can handle all contingencies.

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