Today, it is highly unlikely that anyone will fail to acknowledge that we are all becoming more mobile. We are all picking up phones a lot more and, while at PMN we are not advocates of the belief that the mobile handset will replace desktop phones in their entirety, there are undeniably more people using mobile phones. And more people away from their desks who need to have access to good quality voice communications.
Nearly 50% of employees are spending more than 20% of their time away from their desks - Yankee Group
Nearly 50% of employees are spending more than 20% of their time away from their desks - Yankee Group
28% of employees are using their mobile phones as their primary work phones - IDC Survey 2008
70 % of workers have roles which combine the functionality of the desk phone with the mobile experience - Workforce Mobility Profile (CMA 2008)
Standard fixed phone telephony has drawbacks for these workers in the areas of features, costs and flexibility. In addition, lots of people who work in offices today experience mobile phone issues. Maybe there is no service coverage, maybe calls are expensive, maybe management do not want to give all staff a mobile contract with the subsequent administration overheads to the business.
How the PMN Mobile-in Building solution works
We install our own software which runs a Private Mobile Network in the office using GSM technology; the same GSM mobile handsets can also be used with the macro mobile system. The system is running the GSM protocol and interfaces to IP at the PBX to pass calls across an IP network for reduced call and improved acessability. This is a mobile PBX, click the tab above to see how it works.
The private network can be designed to provide 100% signal coverage. There are GSM desk phones also available, avoiding the cabling costs associated with normal hard-wired phones. This type of solution is important anywhere there are frequent changes in floor space allocation,typical within the retail, manufacturing and logistics sectors.
Handsets are standard mobile handsets and they simply become a phone extension in the office, being standard handsets means there is greater reliability and can be lower cost depending on handset choice.
A single solution providing Wi-Fi, Mobile and PTT (push-to-talk) capabilities reduces the communications costs within the business. As the private network is based on GSM it provides very good omni directional coverage which can be enhanced with an antennae boost. This means we need about a tenth of the number of units a Wi-Fi system would need to provide network coverage over the same space.