Wi-Fi All the Places You Turn and a Few You Don't
ShareEven though “free citywide wireless Internet” fell flat coast to coast, from Portland to Philadelphia, your connections have never been stronger. Public broadband hotspots, mesh networks and other options manage to deliver Internet access with less hoopla. Those connections are not just for hotel rooms, coffee shops, and libraries. Mobile Wi-Fi connections are turning up on buses, trains, planes—offering more than a quick message check to an online session that extends your work day to include the commute.
“We wanted to enable the customer to provide their own choice of activity—work, watch a movie, browse the web—and whenever they want,” says David Hall, general manager at Bolt Bus, a division of Greyhound Lines, Inc. Bolt launched discount fares between Washington, DC, and Boston on new buses equipped with free onboard Wi-Fi and seatback AC outlets for electric power. “The three biggest elements of Bolt were Wi-Fi, the extra legroom so you can open a laptop, and the AC plugs. It’s for anything you want to do. We joke that you can plug in a crockpot and cook a roast. Not that we recommend that.”
Since it launched in 2008, Bolt has redefined East Coast bus travel in much the same way JetBlue shook up the airline industry—discounted fare and new amenities. Bolt Bus attracted travelers from Amtrak trains and other bus carriers thanks to online reservations, onboard Wi-Fi, and more legroom, Hall says. Travelers now expect free Internet anywhere, anytime and new places to get a “signal fix.” And Greyhound is now rolling out Wi-Fi throughout its network, from Canada to Mexico.
Increasingly, people are assumed to be online—to keep up with news and messaging—and that gets expensive. Bolt’s buses offer Internet access during the entire trip with mobile broadband routers that connect to existing cellular networks. Unlike trains and planes that have limits on device use or travel through areas with no signal coverage, cars and buses have more reliable cellular coverage. And the routers deliver signals to dozens of passengers simultaneously, allocating bandwidth to each user.
The proliferation of devices—from iPhones to netbooks to gaming devices and phones with built-in Wi-Fi receivers— has turned remote work and mobile email from “nice to have” to “must have” as more than 20 percent of the U.S. online population is already tapping into free, public Wi-Fi, according to Jupiter Research. So it is no wonder that companies are looking to turn those connections into advertising revenue or to simplify the mobile Internet experience.
“Today’s worker relies so heavily on email, instant messaging, social networks, and cloud computing to get documents and do research in a just-in-time world,” says Brian J. Smith, president of WAAV Inc., which makes routers especially built for in-motion applications for reliable broadband connections. The company wired commuter rail cars for Boston-area travelers, spanning 1,000 miles of track and stretching from Providence, RI, to western Massachusetts and nearly to the New Hampshire border.
“No one can afford to be out of touch, so mobile broadband connections are just logical extensions of our fixed office networks.”
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS AND CONNECTIONS
One challenge for this always on / always connected environment is portability of working files and reliability of email and Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. “Not at my desk” does not mean you cannot provide answers to a question or resend a document. Companies are still figuring out where to draw the line between business and employee blogs, Twitter and other networks—and the policies to govern them.
It is also crucial to be sure to actively tell people when you are online—and, as importantly, when you will be unavailable. When people are at their screens working, often they assume that everyone else is too. Some productivity experts suggest picking specific times of day to read and reply to messages. Be sure to tell people if you respond to email at certain times of day so they know not to expect immediate action.
Another way to separate work time from the rest of your life is using email/IM or text messages to explain your schedule, even if it means “calendaring” (grammatically-flawed jargon for setting a date and time) a call, email, or chat session that allows you to focus entirely on that topic. Like it or not, you have become your own secretary/assistant/intern, so you need to manage your time wisely.
For managers, an extra challenge is securing data files and limiting the exchange of files and folders. It can be easier to keep data safe when people collaborate on a project in an online workspace like Sharepoint, or GoogleDocs than tossing email attachments back and forth, keeping track of revisions, and who touched the work last.
BUT WAIT—THERE’S MORE
In today’s knowledge economy, your company relies on its connections – both people and networks. Those assets are more mobile than ever, and may be needed any time, day or night. And if the speed of networks and communication seems quick today, you can expect the pace to accelerate as more people use wireless devices and new habits evolve to suit even faster connections with video or large file transfer. Fewer meetings, more web conferences. More online research and GPS-guidance just when you need it instead of taking time to ask directions.
And it is not just devices that are multitasking. Workers want the same easy, secure access to documents, data, and networks on the go—making mobile work as much like routine office work as settling into your cubicle. That can only raise the importance and value of in-person meetings, handwritten or thoughtful exchanges instead of “ASAP thx” texting and messaging in under 140 characters.
“Just Connect” is the motto Brian Smith uses to describe his goal for WAAV, creating gear that makes it simple to access the Internet, private networks, and the data people need. When it becomes as easy as flicking a light switch, that is when the power of networks really shines.
After all, there are times when computers need you to input information, and other situations when you get data and find what you need. This kind of give-and-take fluidity can be a competitive edge when your ability to share information quickly to remote locations means the difference between a closed deal or a missed opportunity.
In North America alone, IDC Research estimates that SMBs will spend $162 billion on IT by 2012 – a 6 percent increase from 2007. Hardware will continue to have the biggest price tags, but new applications and services are the fastest growing segments. Clearly there are more devices, platforms, and options coming.
So take some time and get out of your office routine – don’t worry, you won’t miss a thing. 360
David Wallace is managing partner of Gamechange LLC, a Boston consulting group that advises emerging technology companies on marketing/innovation strategies.
Previous | Next 1 of 3
Poll: Data Limits
How do you currently manage and prevent users from exceeding mobile broadband data limits?
Your Comments