Subject: [NEXTEL-1] A look at low-cost, satellite-based systems.

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 19:24:57 -0500

Mobile Com Update
A look at low-cost, satellite-based systems.
John Bendel
Technology Editor

The competition to outfit small fleets with mobile communications gets hotter
all the time.  The latest heat source is Canadian. Toronto-based Link Logistics
is introducing its low-cost, satellite-based mobile communications system to the
U.S. market. The company is a division of U.S.-based Transcore. Transcore
trucking products include various DAT freight-finding services, Keypoint
Software, the Transcore Exchange and many other carrier services.  Transcore
Link Logistics calls its product LinkTrak and is taking aim at fleets from 10 to
50 trucks. Those fleets will likely be in the truckload business where the
near-universal satellite coverage has the most appeal.

According to Brad Aitken, director of operations management for Transcore Link
Logistics, LinkTrak is not a new system. It has been on the road in Canada for
nearly three years.

"We have 70 customers, small and medium-size fleets," he said. "The average
fleet size here in Canada is 10 trucks."
The LinkTrak system is comprised of two essential elements, a compact satellite
antenna transceiver and a ruggedized 2Tech keypad and display from Two
Technologies Inc. The unit is tethered to the dash with coiled wire.

Drivers can select from 15 preformatted messages that the customer can define to
suit a specific operation. The driver can enter a free-form message of up to 150
characters.  Messages are sent and received using satellite wireless services
provided by Vistar of Ottawa, Ont., Canada. Vistar has long provided satellite
technologies in the U.S. through vendors such as Aether Systems. Vistar also
markets its own trailer tracking system, GlobalWave, in the U.S.

Satellite messages are routed to the LinkTrak center at Link Logistics in
Toronto.  Messages and position reports are made available to customers on an
Internet web site. The system reports when messages are received and read.
Dispatch views truck locations with street-level accuracy on screen maps
provided by ProMiles.

DO-IT-YOURSELF INSTALLATION

According to Aitken, LinkTrak is easy to set up.

"It all comes prepackaged. It's very simple to get up and going. It's all cabled
and wired in. In most cases, customers have installed it themselves. They can
move it from truck to truck fairly easily," he said.

"The equipment cost is low and thus the overall maintenance cost going out four
or five years is going to be lower also."
Aitken said the LinkTrak hardware costs $1,500 per truck and service plans begin
at $40 per month per vehicle. The company also offers a lease option that
requires no up-front hardware investment. Lease packages begin at $80 per month
per truck.  "That gives you position reporting every four hours," he said. Of
course, trucks can be "polled" for a location report at any time.
The basic package includes 50 messages a month per truck. Aitken explained that
while free-form messages were limited to 150 characters each, dispatch forms -
or macros - that contain shipment information can contain up to 350 characters.
Aitken said LinkTrak provides a dispatch program called Link Dispatch, but added
that LinkTrak could be interfaced with other systems as well. "If we needed to
do a TMW interface, we would do that," he said.

"We're looking at marketing this to guys that may have been a little concerned
about getting into something like this because it was complex or expensive.
We're giving them a solution from a company they can rely on, Transcore," Aitken
said. "They know we'll be here to support it."

ADVANCES ON THE GROUND

On the ground-based cellular front, a new twist in cellphone evolution may offer

opportunities to fleets. Mobile phone maker Nokia announced that it will offer a
phone capable of switching between the GSM phone networks and Wi-Fi hotspots.
GSM is the digital wireless technology offered by major providers like AT&T
Wireless, Cingular and T-Mobile. Wi-Fi, which is also known by the cryptic name
802.11, is the increasingly popular short-range or local area network (LAN)
showing up in hotels, airports and truck stops. More to the point, Wi-Fi is used
by many freight handling and yard management systems.

That kind of dual capability in cellphones, especially those that run GPS and
dispatch programs, could offer new opportunities in systems integration. For
example, Wi-Fi transceivers could automatically download data from a driver's
smart cellphone when the truck enters a yard or terminal. Depending on the
application and data involved, that could save money by cutting down on mobile
phone transmissions during a run. It would also make it practical for
inexpensive cellphones to be used for common dock and yard communications, data
as well as voice.

Meanwhile, Verizon has launched nationwide Push to Talk service going
head-to-head against Nextel's Direct Connect walkie-talkie-style service. Nextel
took Direct Connect national in June. Now the companies have launched an
advertising war.
Verizon's ads shout "Now there's a push to talk that works where you do," a
clear
reference to Verizon's coverage, which is wider than Nextel's. Nextel counters
with "We
have push to talk. They have push to wait. What part of 'instant' don't the
other guys understand?"

Some users complain that Verizon's service can take from five to seven seconds
to connect while Nextel's is virtually instant.
Direct connect has proved popular among local and regional fleets; it remains to
be seen if Direct Connect or Verizon's Push to Talk will find a significant
place in the truckload market.

In any case, the walkie-talkie phone competition is just beginning. Sprint PCS
and AT&T Wireless have announced plans to enter the field as well. But
widespread adoption would bring problems as well as solutions. Some drivers are
already complaining about loud walkie-talkie conversations in truckstop
restaurants.
http://www.heavydutytrucking.com/2003/10/075a0310.asp

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