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The Trucking Technology Report and Alert are compiled by Information Inc., a supplier of news summaries for vertical markets. Information Inc., subscribes to nearly 7,000 news sources, including: major newspapers and magazines; regional, national, international, and business wire services; weekly and monthly trade journals; business periodicals; legislative sources and non-industry sources.

Both the online report and e-mail are sponsored by @Track Communications, a supplier of wireless communications and dispatch services.

Today's Technology Headlines:

• Virgin Mobile Close to U.S. Deal, Eyes Japan
• Survey: Cell Phone Shoppers Are Hanging Up
• Trucker McLane Rolls Out Dual-Mode Wireless Vehicle System
• Will GPRS Comply With SAR Standards?

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Virgin Mobile Close to U.S. Deal, Eyes Japan

A Virgin Mobile spokesman announced today the company is nearing an agreement to offer wireless phone service in the United States.

During the past several months, Virgin Mobile has been engaged in talks with operators such as Sprint, AT&T, and Telstra. A recent newspaper article said that Virgin was nearing an agreement with Sprint.

It will cost Virgin hundreds of millions of dollars to launch cell phone service in the United States, according to Richard Branson, head of Virgin Group. Virgin's partner would provide the network and Virgin would handle the brand marketing. Virgin Mobile offers services under its own brand and also purchases wireless capacity from competitors, including One 2 One. Reuters (05/09/01)

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Survey: Cell Phone Shoppers Are Hanging Up

London's A.T. Kearney is expected to release results today of an m-commerce study it conducted with the Judge Institute of Management, the business school of Cambridge University. The study surveyed the interest of U.S., European, and Asian mobile phone users in conducting Internet purchases via their devices.

The study found that only 12% would use Web-enabled phones to make purchases, compared to 32% last June. Survey results were even more disappointing in the United States, where just 3% of participants said they would use their devices to make Internet purchases.

Last June, 34% of U.S. participants said they were interested in using m-commerce services. A.T. Kearney consultant Paul Collins attributed the disappointing results to problems with mobile services launched last year. He adds that handset sales may fall as skepticism about wireless Web services grows.

While wireless operators and cell phone manufacturers acknowledge that first-generation wireless services failed to spark consumer interest because of slow speeds and limited applications, they expect the market to grow after network upgrades are completed this year and in 2002. The survey also found that 75% of European and 27% of Japanese users employ wireless instant messaging services. Wall Street Journal Online (05/09/01); Delaney, Kevin J.

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Trucker McLane Rolls Out Dual-Mode Wireless Vehicle System

Trucking company McLane is preparing to replace its paper-based business processes with a mobile computing system that will automate all invoicing, delivery, dispatch, driver log, and diagnostic processes associated with the company's grocery store delivery fleet.

McLane plans to equip 1,050 trucks and drivers with a Symbol handheld computer running IBM-developed Track & Trace point-of-delivery software. Drivers' handheld computers will be tied to corporate mainframes via wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network).

McLane has completed a test of the system with 10 trucks operating in Texas and plans to have the 1,050 grocery trucks equipped by the end of next year. McLane expects to see a return-on-investment from the system, which will cost between $10 million and $20 million, within two years.

Gartner Group analyst Bob Egan says he expects use of wireless LAN technologies to explode in the trucking sector as they solve specific business challenges. Computerworld Online (05/01/01); Brewin, Bob

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Will GPRS Comply With SAR Standards?

The FCC's SAR (specific absorption rate) requirement, which restricts the radiation emissions of cellular devices, could limit General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) data speeds. GPRS is an emerging technology standard for high speed data transmission.

The issue is the latest setback for GPRS operators and equipment sellers, which are already facing complex challenges in launching services and developing products. Current GPRS devices offer speeds of only 20 Kbps to 30 Kbps, far short of the 115 Kbps hyped by GPRS supporters.

The FCC has restricted the sale of handsets that produce SAR emissions above 1.6 watts per kilogram, which could pose a problem for fast GPRS data transmissions. GPRS phones use what are called time slots, which can provide speeds reaching 13.4 Kbps per slot. However, the higher speeds also result in increased RF emissions, which Seybold Group analyst Barney Dewey says will contribute to GPRS data speeds that fall short of 115 Kbps. Wireless Week (04/30/01) P. 1; Albright, Peggy

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