The choice of cellular supplier is critical, however. Both Cell net and Vodafone sell their airtime through service providers, who issue the invoices and have the freedom to set their own prices. Rates can vary considerably, so it is worth shopping around and comparing prices. The cost of a free phone is often recouped by the supplier in higher call charges. Cell net and Vodafone will both advise on what rate your should expect to pay.
Some suppliers charge in units of a full minute, so that a call lasting one minute and two seconds is charged out at two minutes. Look for a supplier who charges in half minute units, and study the contract carefully. Some suppliers try to lock in their subscribers with long-term contracts, which means that you are stuck with them, whether or not you are happy with the service. And finally, ensure that your supplier can provide the service and maintenance back up that your need. Modern cell phones are very reliable, but things can go wrong, particularly if the equipment has been ineptly fitted.
Look for a company certified to the BS 5750 quality standard; if fitting out a national fleet of vehicles, you will want a supplier with a national network of service depots.
With a cell phone fitted in your vehicle, you can communicate verbally and conduct business on the move. You also have a built in telephone answering service to take messages while you are otherwise occupied. However, for a vehicle to become an effective office it must be able to transmit and receive data. In this area the market has been very slow to develop: only a tiny proportion of mobile phone users transmit data over the cellular network. A primary cause has been the low reliability of transmissions in the past. it is sometimes forgotten that a cell phone is actually a radio, not a telephone, and radio waves are a hostile environment for data transmission. until recently, the risk of data corruption over cellular was many times greater than by fixed phone.
Mew networks, specifically designed for mobile data transmission, are being established in the UK, but for national coverage cellular still provides the only option at the moment. Fortunately, new technical developments are helping to ensure error-free transmission.
Certainly, many products on the market are inadequate, but Cell net has introduced a scheme to approve modems, fax machines and interface units that are compatible with the network. Among the first to be accredited were the Ricoh PF-1 mobile fax, and the Securicor SC1D interface, which can link a suitable laptop computer into the cellular network.
The Ricoh PF-1 fax is the world's smallest and lightest facsimile machine. It has its own power source, or can run off the car battery. Most important, it has an error correction mode that helps avoid the transmission errors which can plague cellular communications. Like office faxes, it also has a copy facility, so can act as a substitute for a photocopier in the mobile office - although it does not give the quality of the latest office copiers available.
Some suppliers charge in units of a full minute, so that a call lasting one minute and two seconds is charged out at two minutes. Look for a supplier who charges in half minute units, and study the contract carefully. Some suppliers try to lock in their subscribers with long-term contracts, which means that you are stuck with them, whether or not you are happy with the service. And finally, ensure that your supplier can provide the service and maintenance back up that your need. Modern cell phones are very reliable, but things can go wrong, particularly if the equipment has been ineptly fitted.
Look for a company certified to the BS 5750 quality standard; if fitting out a national fleet of vehicles, you will want a supplier with a national network of service depots.
With a cell phone fitted in your vehicle, you can communicate verbally and conduct business on the move. You also have a built in telephone answering service to take messages while you are otherwise occupied. However, for a vehicle to become an effective office it must be able to transmit and receive data. In this area the market has been very slow to develop: only a tiny proportion of mobile phone users transmit data over the cellular network. A primary cause has been the low reliability of transmissions in the past. it is sometimes forgotten that a cell phone is actually a radio, not a telephone, and radio waves are a hostile environment for data transmission. until recently, the risk of data corruption over cellular was many times greater than by fixed phone.
Mew networks, specifically designed for mobile data transmission, are being established in the UK, but for national coverage cellular still provides the only option at the moment. Fortunately, new technical developments are helping to ensure error-free transmission.
Certainly, many products on the market are inadequate, but Cell net has introduced a scheme to approve modems, fax machines and interface units that are compatible with the network. Among the first to be accredited were the Ricoh PF-1 mobile fax, and the Securicor SC1D interface, which can link a suitable laptop computer into the cellular network.
The Ricoh PF-1 fax is the world's smallest and lightest facsimile machine. It has its own power source, or can run off the car battery. Most important, it has an error correction mode that helps avoid the transmission errors which can plague cellular communications. Like office faxes, it also has a copy facility, so can act as a substitute for a photocopier in the mobile office - although it does not give the quality of the latest office copiers available.
