Cellular phone repair

To facilitate trucking companies'communications, Racotek Inc. and Westinghouse have agreed in principle to offer a mobile phone with cellular and satellite capabilities as part of their service package. The series 1000 Mobile Satellite Telephone System, developed by Westinghouse Electric Corp.'s communications division, will allow Racotek customers to transmit and receive in places where cellular coverage is not available.

The phone will be aimed at the lighter-than-truckload (LTL) trucking industry; it is a device that will enable companies to stay in touch with trucks that travel between cities, said Patrick Milan, Racotek's communications director. "The secret behind what we do is to allow [companies] to work through satellites just as another means of communication," he said.

Since many LTL trucking companies connect their fleets with specialized mobile radio (SMR) data systems within cities, extending a link to all trucks--wherever they are in the field-- would be a logical step. Racotek's service enables trucks to connect directly with a company's office computers, so the status of packages can be instantly updated.

...Trucking Industry Ready for Mobile Data Applications

Milan said the series 1000 phone would help with data transmission in a variety of industries, including state utility companies that have repair crews spending extended time in rural areas.

But even if no customers other than LTL trucking companies wanted the rapid satellite dispatches, Milan is confident that there still is a strong market for the service. He noted that there were numerous companies interested in the service, many of which already have seen large payoffs from adopting wireless data services. "The LTL trucking industry has been one of the early adopters because [it sees a] payback in 12 to 18 months," Milan said.

Will the series 1000 phone be something that traveling executives will carry along with their laptop PCs? Definitely not today, said Milan. "That market is not currently available. It may be five years away." Milan noted that although it currently was not cost-effective for most people to be tied seamlessly with their offices, trucking companies place a great deal of importance on a constant flow of data between the base and employees.