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Mobility is assuming an increasingly major role as a key driver of progress - in diverse areas. Belgacom supports the growing demand for mobility through an open collaboration with innovative partners: the best guarantee for the best solutions.

Mobility is not strictly a matter of technology, asserts Grégoire Dallemagne, Vice-President Strategy at Belgacom. In his view, mobility is first and foremost a societal issue. When Belgacom made the commitment to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 70% by 2020, the mobility of its own employees offered part of the solution. Dallemagne: “I am talking here about teleworking from home, setting up satellite offices, replacing travel with videoconferencing… these are all things that we are applying within our own company. But, of course, the know-how is also meant to be shared with our clients. In this way we can help them to reduce their CO₂ emissions as well.”

More mobile services

The example illustrates the way that greater mobility can make a positive contribution in diverse areas of day-to-day life, for both people and companies. “In the near term, mobile services will come to play an increasingly important role in our lives,” Dallemagne continued. “The success of SMS-parking is a good indicator of this. New services are constantly being added, such as tickets for the bus and tram that travelers can pay for now using a mobile phone. People are also increasingly able to rely on technology that directly increases mobility, like navigation systems, for example.”

Combining with one another

Thanks to traffic cameras controlled remotely by the police departments, it is possible to gain a better overview of the traffic situation in a city. This information, in turn, can be used to optimally adapt the traffic lights to the traffic patterns. In this way, technology is also contributing to our mobility and the use of mobile services is becoming increasingly interwoven with our daily activities. As more services are created, combining them with one another is going to lead to extra benefits. “That is something we are seeing already with SMS-parking. A lot of the traffic in and around the city is generated by people looking for a parking place. The system for SMS-parking allows the city’s traffic controllers to determine, at any moment, where there are free parking spaces. Digital signage could guide drivers to the free spots.”

Broader application for IT

The success of mobile devices is further accelerating this development. The devices are constantly becoming more compact and more powerful. Battery life is also increasing. Furthermore, the devices are getting smarter which, in turn, opens the door to more applications. The breakthrough of the smartphone says it all. However, mobile data transfer offers a lot more possibilities than simply the use of mobile email and Internet. Through IT, companies have automated all of their crucial processes. Mobility is now adding an important new component to this.

Monitoring remotely

A familiar example is that of the sales representative who is able to use a PDA during a client visit to access the company’s CRM and ERP systems. In this way, the sales rep has all of the client data readily available, as well as instant access to the sales history. What’s more, he can immediately inform the client of the delivery time for a new order he has placed because he has online access to the stock availability. The number of potential new mobile applications remains virtually inexhaustible. “In healthcare, monitoring patients remotely is a good example. The patient can stay home for longer this way - thus avoiding unnecessary stays in hospital - while the doctors can still offer excellent service from a distance,” Dallemagne pointed out. Monitoring remotely is also done for the elderly, which allows them to live independently for longer. If there’s a problem, the system will automatically send an alarm signal.

Working more efficiently

Remote management can put an end to unnecessary travel, which saves time and boosts efficiency. The remote management of vending machines is a good example. In the past, the vending machine operator had to refill the vending machines at fixed intervals, for example, each week. But unseasonably warm weather might cause the soft drinks to sell out more quickly than planned. That would mean a lot of missed sales for the company. With mobile technology, restocking can be approached more efficiently. When the stocks in the vending machine are nearly exhausted - or if there is a technical defect - the system receives a message. In this way, the vending operators need only visit those machines that actually need replenishing.

A dynamo of progress

“These are all examples that show how important mobility is in our lives,” said Dallemagne. “Mobility is the dynamo of progress. Belgacom supports this through an open and innovative model.” Belgacom has the best mobile network coverage and provides the connectivity to stay reachable from home, on the road or at work at the same time as having access to data and applications. Belgacom offers also datacenter infrastructure which allows companies to place their data and applications in the cloud in a way that is both efficient and green - that provides users with a secure and available environment. Dallemagne: “What we also do is bring together specialists from highly specific fields in order to arrive at solutions. We know our own strengths. But we also know the areas in which we are better off turning to partners. It is this interchange that leads to real, open innovation.” Take the example of Sunswitch. This company installs photovoltaic cells. Belgacom supplies the connectivity for the SmartMeter associated with those cells. Based on this meter, clients can control their installation remotely and receive accurate production reports.

Low threshold

It is clear that the importance of mobility is only going to grow in the future. Expectations are high for simple applications with a low user threshold. Dallemagne: “I’m thinking first of all of the smartphone for processing emails and consulting a calendar. These are simple applications that let you make more productive use of your available time. It’s an investment that pays for itself extremely quickly.” For many users, this type of mobile office solution forms the first step into the mobile world. But the power of mobile devices keeps increasing. An explosion of new applications is heading our way. “The high quality of our network supports this trend. Thanks to Belgacom you are truly connected at all times, which makes it possible to run highly critical applications over the mobile network.”

Greater availability

Mobility provides a greater availability that works in two directions. The company’s employees are theoretically reachable at all times - by phone, SMS or email. At the same time, they have permanent remote access to applications and data. The rates plans are also shifting in step with this trend. “We are evolving towards fixed or flat rates,” Dallemagne explained. “We bring the requisite sense of responsibility to our role as operator. When you have nearly reached the limit of your rates plan, we will send you an SMS. That way you always know where you stand.” Internationally, the rates for roaming have dropped significantly. At the same time, the prices for mobile data are falling as well. “What’s more, we have developed a whole range of special pricing formulas. For clients who travel abroad frequently, we have set up an excellent partnership with Vodafone.”

The future

Belgacom continues to invest in its core business. In the past five years, it has invested over €3 billion in fixed and mobile services. “We always want to be able to offer our clients the best network,” Dallemagne added. “What’s more, the integration of Belgacom, Proximus and Telindus make it possible to offer a truly integrated range to our clients. That is important because ICT is assuming an increasingly clear role at the core of virtually all business processes.” At the same time, the core activities of Belgacom itself are also evolving. It is no longer a question of connectivity alone, but also all of the ICT services that accompany it. “We offer our clients a complete package of end-to-end, network-centric ICT services. That ensures our clients the highest degree of mobility currently available: we provide fast access to data and applications, at any time, from anywhere and on any device whatsoever. We demonstrate that mobility makes life a whole lot easier, in both the professional and the private sphere.”

Executive summary

Mobile applications are penetrating into everything we do, in our professional as well as our private lives. Mobility adds a new component to the automation of business processes. Mobile applications lead to greater efficiency and productivity.