Pete is a former colleague who recently changed jobs and his new company issued a 3G wireless broadband card from Verizon. This guy is an IT support person and the types of applications that he works with are super mission critical so the company made sure he was able to get on the Internet whenever necessary. Unfortunately, his boss failed to mention that the mobile broadband plan had a data transfer limit of 5GB per month. Over the next week, Pete was using the data card as his main Internet access from his house because the installation of his DSL line was delayed a week. Pete loves You Tube and he downloads stuff like crazy so he hit the wall pretty quick on the data limit. Pete was never told of the access limit but when he met with his boss, Tom; Pete got a quick lesson on mobile broadband access limitations. Fortunately for Pete, he was able to keep his job but he loves to tell people his story whenever we spend time with friends..
In mobile retail shops, you will not find an unlimited data plan because almost all the carriers limit data transfer to around 5GB per month. Certain businesses would really benefit from an unlimited mobile broadband data plan.. Like Pete, I am sure that any critical support technician would love to get their hands on an unlimited data plan without the 5GB cap. I can also see the unlimited data access plan helping companies who hire remote sales reps, on-site customer support, journalists, media producers, or anyone else needing on demand 3G mobile broadband wireless service. You may not know it but there is a wholesale alternative for companies seeking an unlimited broadband wireless service without the data cap limit.. If you select the right mobile broadband wholesale carrier, your company can secure the best agreement because terms are flexible, plans include truly unlimited data transfer, provisioning of the data card is efficient, and the network connection is provided by a tier-one carrier.
Here are a few tips when considering a corporate wide mobile broadband implementation.
1. Create new policy for mobile broadband end users
It is crucial to establish policies prior to implementation so that the roll out is organized and everyone understands who receives access and how the data cards are issued. Potentially, anyone with a laptop is a candidate for a mobile broadband card. We recommend that key traveling employees should have mobile broadband and Wi-Fi access, including sales reps, field service technicians and executives.
Next, decide how the data cards will be deployed and who will handle the approval process. Most companies just follow the same procedure for cell phones.
Another consideration, you may want to have a policy against employees purchasing their own mobile broadband data cards so that you maintain visibility and control over expenses, obtain corporate discounts and maintain better management of the account.
2. Keep an Inventory of Compatible Hardware
From experience, I would suggest that your company choose a hardware platform that is accepted by all departments within the company. Most companies maintain an inventory of standardized laptops and handheld devices that connect to the corporate network.
3. Come up with a Plan to Provision Data Cards
You will need to choose a departement or person to be in charge of provisioning the data cards and getting to the end user. The most obvious choice is going to be your internal IT or help desk so that the process is centralized and easily managed.
New employees should get their manager to issue the data card and have it ready for the new employee on their first day of work.
When an employee leaves the company, you will need to establish a way to get the data card and if the card is not returned shut down the service on the data card immediately.
4. Keep Track of Data Card Usage
It will be in your best interest to keep track of the monthly data card usage to ensure that the service is working as intended and that employees are not using the service for any non-work related activities like movie and music downloads.
For those employees who travel infrequently, the data card may not be essential because you may have many months of non-usage but still be responsible for paying the bill. We suggest if there is zero usage within a 90 day window then you may want to suspend usage and reevaluate if the employee needs a data card.
5. Work with a Solid Wholesale Service Provider
Working with a proven wholesale provider will give you the best opportunity for better pricing. In addition, the wholesale provider may offer flexible contract terms, superior service, customized billing, and simple provisioning of new data cards.
Mobile broadband is quickly becoming an essential access point for corporations because of the connection speed and convenience of everywhere connectivity. As the technology continues to improve with next generation mobile broadband and handset applications, corporations will continue to explore ways of increasing employee productivity. To wrap it up, corporations who implement the broadband wireless sooner rather than later will reap the rewards of lower broadband access costs and steap productivity gains.
Paul Mendiola is a business entrepreneur and wholesale data access provider with Spiritel Solutions. Calling all companies looking to increase productivity with unlimited mobile broadband. To learn more, please visit Mobile Broadband or go to 3G Wireless Data Card
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