Called one of the largest deployments of mobile computing technology to date, BellSouth Corp.
introduced a new, $163 million mobile computing platform created to give its 15,000 service technicians access to
customer service and network information in the field.
The BellSouth TechPlus System equips technicians with
ruggedized notebook computers that include two-way wireless and wireline communications capabilities to access
BellSouth computer systems in order to conduct network testing, work assignments, maintenance and customer
information queries. The wireless data network used in the system is provided by the BellSouth Wireless Data
division.
“TechPlus is a massive project that will transform the way every field technician in BellSouth
works-and help us provide faster service to our customers,” said Bill Smith, network vice president for BellSouth
Telecommunications. “This gives our people in the field as much computing power as office-based
workers.”
It replaces the Craft Access System and older, slower Computer Access Terminals. BellSouth
began deploying the new computers to field technicians last October in Georgia, adding Florida, Kentucky and
Tennessee in December. By the end of January, the computers had been distributed to all nine states served by
BellSouth. The system rollout is expected to be completed by November.
The old CAT terminals required
technicians to use a dial-up connection to transmit data at 1.2 kilobits per second, while the new notebooks transmit at
33.6 kbps on wireline connections and 8 kbps wirelessly.
“This is by far the largest wireless implementation
by any one company, and BellSouth can be congratulated for recognizing the value of providing a speedy,
differentiated service to its customers,” said Phil Redman of the Yankee Group. “The Yankee Group
believes that, as more companies begin to see the efficiency, the reliability and especially the return-on-investment that
can be garnered from such a wireless/mobile installation, we’ll begin to see more companies implementing their own
solutions.”
Currently, the system allows technicians to dispatch, receive and close out trouble tickets, work
orders, testing and identification and customer line repair. BellSouth hopes to add other services in the
future.
BellSouth developed the software in conjunction with Anderson Consulting and contracted with Itronix
Corp. to supply the notebook computers. The system uses RFexpress messaging middleware from Nettech Systems
Inc.
BellSouth said it expects to market the system to other regional Bell operating companies in the future.
