Mobility Trends 2023

Good communication promotes profit

As businesses strive to become more agile, efficient, and competitive, the importance of on-site mobility solutions is growing. Whether you are a retailer, manufacturer, healthcare provider, or any other type of organisation that relies on real-time communication and collaboration, the ability to move around your premises while staying connected is a must-have feature.

We are all very aware of the Smartphone in our pocket, and how it keeps us connected to the outside world, and we are all used to getting instant notifications and gratification when something important or memorable happens to our friends, but is that relevant in the workplace? Is it safe in the workplace?

Numerous studies and articles show how disruptive and costly interruptions are in our work life, and it has been proven that rather than gain productivity, domestic Smartphones in the workplace can cost productivity.

In this article, we will explore some of the key trends in commercial, professional on-site mobility, with a focus on DECT, VoWLAN handsets, messaging, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. As they are not commercial on-site mobility solutions, domestic Smartphones are covered in a following article.

DECT

DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) is a mature technology that has been widely adopted in various industries for many years. Using a dedicated frequency, DECT handsets are designed to provide reliable and secure voice communication over a dedicated wireless network, making them perfect for critical environments such as healthcare.

Not only does the dedicated frequency avoid co-channel conflicts, bandwidth-hungry applications and interference from other devices, but the lower frequency also provides greater coverage and better penetration through obstacles.

Professional DECT solutions can integrate with most on-premise PBX systems and hosted PBX systems on the market, including the likes of MS Teams, Zoom, RingCentral, and 8x8.

Because coverage and capacity is considered at the planning and survey stage, Professional DECT systems can scale to many hundreds of handsets without causing bandwidth or quality issues.

With quality in mind, DECT handsets are renowned for their high-quality audio, long battery life, and robustness, making them ideal for environments that require critical and constant voice communication, such as hospitals, warehouses, or retail stores.

Moreover, DECT handsets can integrate with other systems to provide direct and immediate alarm notifications, location tracking, or task management to enhance their functionality as described later in the document.

VoWLAN (voice over Wireless LAN)

VoWLAN is a newer technology that leverages a Wi-Fi infrastructure to transmit voice traffic and can provide wider coverage, easier deployment, and lower costs. VoWLAN handsets are best suited for environments that have strong and well-designed Wi-Fi networks, and that prioritise voice traffic over other types of traffic.

Using an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure can be challenging unless it has the appropriate standards for carrying voice and the deployment has been designed specifically with voice in mind. Unlike DECT, which has a unique and reserved frequency, WoWLAN shares the Wi-Fi infrastructure with a myriad of other devices and potentially hundreds of other users which can cause difficulties such as interference, latency issues, or network congestion.

Icon consultants can help with this investigation at the pre-sales stage.

Given that the Wi-Fi infrastructure has been designed for voice roaming, the next consideration must be that of coverage area.

For example, a hotel may decide to use an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure for voice. The existing infrastructure has been analysed and is suitable for voice, which is all good. However, the hotel wants to use the VoWLAN for staff and there is no Wi-Fi in the back offices, kitchen, prep areas, plant room, underground car park, etc. In instances such as these, it may be more cost-effective to use DECT which has a greater range and will not impact on the bandwidth of the existing Wi-Fi.

Surveys

To get the best out of any wireless infrastructure – DECT or Wi-Fi - a professional survey from ICON is recommended. Icon consultants can survey and verify existing infrastructure or survey and advise regarding new infrastructure.

Look out for the Icon article that discusses surveying.

Messaging and on-site mobility

Messaging is another trend that is transforming on-site mobility, as it allows users to communicate and share information in a more flexible way.

Messaging platforms can offer many advantages over voice communication, such as faster response times, better documentation, critical alerts, alarm integration, and more privacy. Moreover, messaging platforms can integrate with other systems, such as fire panels, workflows, building management systems, panic buttons or bots, to automate tasks and improve productivity.

Bluesky Wireless IoT messaging gateway is a great solution for achieving these goals and can even link into MS TEAM’s chat, further levering a site's investment in a Spectralink MS Teams certified mobility solution.

Summary

In conclusion, on-site mobility is a dynamic and evolving field that can offer many opportunities for businesses to improve their communication, collaboration, and productivity. Whether you choose DECT, VoWLAN handsets, integrated messaging, or a combination of these technologies, the key is to align the right solution to fit your needs.

It is important to consult with the Icon experts to ensure that you get the best out of your wireless deployment. For example, the aforementioned Microsoft Teams product can offer many benefits for on-site mobility, such as seamless transitions between devices, centralised administration, and access to a wide range of Microsoft services, but staff functionality, productivity, and ROI can be elevated even further when integrated with third-party applications and services, such as Spectralink DECT or VoWLAN handsets and on-site IoT messaging.