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A complementary technology
Is 3G a viable solution for the emergency services?
This month we take a closer look at the technology benefits of 3G and speak to Craig Wellman, head of government sector, Vodafone UK about 3G technology, asking if 3G is a viable alternative to radio communications...
Without doubt 2006 was a significant year for 3G, with the introduction of 3G broadband. This evolution enables users to download data at speeds four times faster than previous 3G data rates. And, as the name suggest, the experience is the equivalent to a fixed broadband connection, which has tremendous benefits both in terms of productivity and the kind of enterprise level applications that it can support.
In discussing how 3G have evolved over the last 12 months, Craig Wellman, head of government sector, Vodafone UK said, “Connectivity is becoming increasingly simple to manage and available to more people. In addition to the popular Mobile Connect data cards, our 3G broadband capability is now built into laptops from a wide range of leading PC manufacturers including Dell, Acer, HP and Lenovo. At the end of the year we also introduced a USB modem that installs the 3G broadband capability on the desktop automatically, without the need for additional software. The modem is ideal for Macs and the new breed of laptops that don't feature PCMCIA slots.”
helping to drive efficiency
As awareness of the speed and robustness of 3G grows we are seeing increasing creativity in the development of applications that help to drive efficiency in a wide variety of environments.
One excellent example is the North West Ambulance Service (Cumbria and Lancashire Area), which is providing Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G data cards to its Incident Support Units in order to provide a direct mobile web link to National Poisons Information Centre in London. This means that if there is an emergency situation involving hazardous chemicals, say from a road collision involving an HGV, the crews are able to type the hazard warning code on the side of the tanker into their laptops and gain instant access to the Poisons Information Centre over the 3G network for information about the chemical or material they are dealing with.
The important factor is that this is all done at the scene, saving valuable time and speeding up decisions on treatments. The crews are then also able to access weather information about wind speed and direction to advise the local Health Protection Agency about potential threats, resulting in programmes being set up immediately to include GPs and local surgeries.
a viable alternative?
So is 3G a viable alternative to radio comms? (Not necessarily voice but data transmission, picture messaging etc) Considering it is a public network, and network traffic implications, we asked how can CCA responders safely utilise the technology?
Commenting, Wellman said, “3G is a complement rather an alternative to radio paging, which is a fail-safe alternative for sending important messages at speed where other radio-based equipment won't always work, or even GPRS, which is highly reliable for lower bandwidth data applications like email across 99% of the population.
“3G has many more possibilities than either of those technologies in terms of supporting high-bandwidth applications. It really comes into its own as a value-added service that supports innovative applications, like those used by the North West Ambulance Service, which can make a real difference to the drive for efficiency.”
