Mike Maiorana, President - Washington-Baltimore-Virginia Region, Verizon Wireless
1. What are some of the top trends in wireless communications that can help small businesses?
Two of the biggest trends that I see in wireless communications are the rollout of fourth generation (4G LTE) wireless networking and the enabling of machine-to-machine communications.
The performance and capabilities of our 4G LTE network are allowing customers, including small businesses, to do things that they never could do before in a wireless environment. In particular, we’re getting 10 times faster speeds than with a 3G network, which enable applications such as video sharing and surveillance, conferencing, streaming and high definition. And, LTE provides reduced latency and enhanced security, with robust and non-evasive mutual authentication, user identity confidentiality and integrity protection of all signaling messages.
Further, machine-to-machine technology is really going to ignite the continued growth in the wireless industry. The new connectivity enabled by our 4G network is providing solutions like remote diagnostics, which allows large-scale apparatus and machinery to be constantly monitored for problems that can be repaired more quickly. M2M also allows cargo to be tracked and monitored through live streaming video and allows remote adjustments to be made to temperatures on tankers. Businesses are just beginning to see the benefits of machine to machine. The possibilities for streamlining operations, increasing productivity, reducing costs and improving security are just a few of them.
2. 4G LTE recently launched in parts of Maryland, talk to me more about that and how businesses can gain from it.
In just one year, we have brought 4G LTE coverage to nearly 2/3 of the American population. 4G LTE is available in the greater Washington, DC/Baltimore area as well as Annapolis, Hagerstown and Frederick, including many smaller towns such as Norwood, Olney, Brookeville, Laytonsville, Damascus, Woodbine, Mount Airy, Clarksburg, Goshen, Germantown, Monrovia, Urbana, Green Valley, Holly Hills, and Futura.
December 5 marked the one year anniversary of Verizon Wireless LTE deployment. At that time, the 4G LTE network launched in 38 markets and covered 110 million Americans. Two 4G LTE USB modems were offered at launch, with the first smart phone going on sale in March. Now, Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network is available in 179 cities; surpassing our goal of 185 million by year-end 2011. Today, Verizon Wireless offers a total of 16 4G LTE devices. We were also named ‘Fastest 4G Network Yet’ by Popular Science’s Best of What’s New awards and ranked No. 1 on PC World’s 100 Best Products of 2011.
How will LTE and 4G change life in Maryland? 4G technology will have a tremendous impact on businesses in almost every local industry –healthcare, manufacturing, retail, security, transportation, energy management and media, to name a few. It’s an ideal mechanism for bandwidth-intensive applications like streaming video, e-mailing large, graphically intense training manuals to your employees in the field, and transmitting medical images instantaneously.
For example, Dr. Andrew Barbash, Medical Director of Neurosciences and Virtual Care Services at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland creates‘virtual care environments’ with easy-to-use chat and video applications powered by Verizon Wireless’ super-fast 4G LTE wireless network.
Through these virtualized environments, health care professionals can collaborate in real-time to track and share information (such as data-rich CT scans, MRIs or electronic health records) seamlessly and complete tasks previously unimaginable on a wireless device. Through his Motorola Xoom and HTC Thunderbolt, Dr. Barbash uses Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network to consult with other doctors, care providers, patients and their families, regardless of where they reside, to ensure continuity of care and improve patient outcomes.
Barbash said he’s become “untethered and unshackled” in his meetings with patients and colleagues. He can oversee the Intensive Care Unit remotely from other locations and have nurses “ping” him if they have a question or consult with specialists across the country, showing them test results on the same screen that also hosts a video conference. He says“that’s a huge breakthrough.”
3. What are some business mobility best practices?
There is certainly a demand for mobility with small to mid-sized businesses. It’s exciting how wireless devices have become not only a utility, but a necessary part of all business and consumers’lifestyles. Customers are looking for quality, reliability, value and convenience. It’s critical that they can rely on a network that’s able to do that for them, not only now, but also as their demands and needs on that network increase.
We believe that network reliability is the foundation of why people use our services. Getting back to 4G, our network creates incredible opportunities for our customers to collaborate online in new ways, instantaneously share data, video and very large, graphic-intense files with increased efficiency and virtually no delay.
In terms of best practices, tablets offer serious benefits for businesses and are quickly proving themselves to be an essential business tool, making people more efficient and productive. The iPad or the Xyboard 10.1 by Motorola, for instance, of course offer internet access and email, but also deliver a unique combination of compact portability and performance. Let’s say your making a presentation on the road, like I often do, you can make the most of any opportunity showing pictures, videos, blueprints and more. It’s easy to share your ideas, and with apps like QuickOffice, you can easily view, edit or create documents on site. There are thousands of useful apps for business but you can also customize your own, depending on your specific needs.
I also view machine-to-machine technology as a best practice for business. For example, with LTE, inventory can be monitored remotely, in real time, so that when stock of a certain item is running low, an alert is triggered and a re-order is automatically placed. If you’re an exporter, you can track and monitor, through live streaming video, the condition of your cargo, make adjustments to the temperature of the container if needed, and verify its safe and secure transport and delivery.
4. What are some things that Verizon Wireless is doing to help small businesses?
Bottom line, no matter what size your business is, our customers have to deliver ROI, maximize productivity and be more responsive to their customers to keep their business competitive. Productivity and responsiveness to your customers is critical. Being available, being able to have a reliable connection so that your customers can always find you is a big competitive advantage.
Smartphones, tables, netbooks and Push-to-Talk allow you to do anything in a mobile environment that you can do in a landline environment, improving your results and getting things done from the field, in real-time.
So our network is enabling a lot more than phone calls, emails and Internet browsing – we’re using it to solve customers’ business problems and help customers simplify their business, capture new revenue streams, and connect to any device, back-office application or field service operation. This, of course, comes in particularly helpful with small business.
5. What are your must-carry devices when you’re not in the office?
I always have a smartphone, ususally the latest device. Right now, it’s the Nexus which just launched Dec. 15. It’s the first smartphone to combine Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the power of our 4G LTE network. I also carry a Droid Razr, which also operates over our 4G LTE network. It’s a super-thin device and is packed with apps like MotoCast and features like remote wipe, pin lock and government-grade encryption for email, calendar and contacts.
It would be unusual to see me without an iPad, or tablet. As someone who is on the road frequently, it’s my essential business tool. I always carry a 4G LTE Jetpack that connects my iPad and my accessories are a hands-free headset, iGo charger, VPC and case.
6. Do you have a favorite mobile productivity app, other than the obvious ones like email and calendar?
My favorite business App is Citrix that enables access to all of my reporting. My favorite personal App is NFL Mobile, go Ravens!
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