The days when mobile internet services were seen purely as a fallback when fixed line and wifi networks aren’t available look to be drawing to a close.
Dramatic improvements to the speeds available from mobile broadband are already making it a realistic alternative to fixed line services and now with the introduction of Vodafone’s new “MiFi” device it actually enjoys significant advantages.
The MiFi is effectively a mobile wifi hub in your pocket. You power it up and it connects to the Vodafone broadband network and broadcasts a wifi signal in the immediate vicinity allowing up to 10 users to connect to it.
But that's just part of the story. It also acts as an amplifier and delivers enhanced speeds of up to 42Mbps download and 5.7Mpbs upload.
On the move
"Those speeds are comparable to or better than those available through many fixed line services," says Laura Conlon-McKenna, business data manager with Vodafone Ireland.
“The MiFi device is particularly useful for people on the move, such as sales team leaders, who need to hold meetings with staff and clients while out on the road. We all have experience of just how slow free wifi services can be in coffee shops and hotels and how they aren’t really suitable for a lot of business applications.
“Our customers now take advantage of the high speeds that the network can deliver by using the MiFi device. We know that a lot of our customers already use mobile broadband but with the portable wifi, they can now easily create small pop-up offices in any location where they want to work. We’ve received a great response from customers who have already moved to this set up and are now experiencing increased productivity as a result.”
One firm which is making innovative use of the new device is Cork Taxi Co-op. It is the city’s largest taxi service with 85 vehicles in its fleet and several of those cars now offer free wifi services to passengers while also steaming advertisements to them via screens on the back of the front seat headrests.
“We believe investing in our business to ensure we have the latest technology in our taxis and dispatch centres is critical to our success,” says Cork Taxi Co-op chairman Alan O’Shea.
“Given the nature of our business, we need to be incredibly responsive to customers. We were approached about a year ago by a firm which deals in taxi advertising. The system operates by using a mobile wifi device in the cars to stream information and advertising content to the screens at the back of the headrests and it also offers a free wifi service to passengers. All they have to do is ask the driver for the login details.”
While the advertising service has brought in welcome additional revenue to the co-op the wifi service is also proving popular with an increasing number of customers. "Passengers going on longer journeys out of the city or to Shannon Airport are now requesting wifi equipped cars to allow them work during the trip. That's the way it's going now. I remember back in 1985 when I was in the army in the Middle East and wanted to phone my wife it had to be done through a radio operator in Dublin and I had to say 'over' at the end of every sentence. Now you can contact anyone anywhere on the planet once you've got a mobile signal."
Major impact
Mobile technology is also having a major impact on the running of the company. "We deployed the iCabbi dispatch system on July 1st of this year and it has been a great success," says O'Shea.
“All the information about bookings is now sent out to the drivers on their smartphones. It has its own mapping system but it also links to Google maps and this not only gives drivers directions but also shows them a picture of the house or building they are looking for when they get there. We are very pleased with the system and very happy that it is from an Irish company based in Howth in Dublin. The back-up service they offer is great. The Vodafone mobile data service is also excellent – we do more than 5,000 trips a week so we need a very good mobile network to support that. I would say that in a while drivers won’t have to contact the base so much and the radio might become a thing of the past.”
This is an example of how enhanced mobile broadband services can open up new opportunities for existing businesses, according to Laura Conlon-McKenna. “The Irish taxi business is very competitive and Cork Taxi Co-op is using our mobile broadband technology to differentiate it and give it an advantage in the market. It’s a great example of innovation in a business and of the potential of the new technology.”
She believes this potential is possibly greatest for start-ups. “Small and medium-sized businesses starting up can set up their own data networks very quickly and cheaply. They can establish pop-up offices in almost any location and, with the data packages for the MiFi starting as low as €20.32 per month, it is affordable for every business.
“The MiFi device also offers tremendous workforce flexibility. A big buzzword term around business at the moment is mobility strategy and mobile broadband is really coming into its own in that context.”
To learn more about Vodafone’s mobile wifi device see iti.ms/14yxI5p