The Nomad Wireless Briefing - September/October 2006
A briefing to discuss: Unwiring the Local Authority; Building a Partnership to Deliver Wireless Public Services; Planning for a Hybrid Technical Architecture; Future of the Forum - Nomad Needs You
A briefing to discuss: Wireless Technologies Supporting Business Value; Towards Transformative Government; Rural and Urban Wireless Solutions; Future of the Forum - Nomad Needs You
A briefing to discuss: Wireless Infrastructure – Choosing the Right Business Model; Wireless Technology Choices; Preparing for Mobility – Mobile Application Characteristics; Future of the Forum – Nomad Wireless Needs You!
A briefing to discuss: The Current Wireless Landscape; Wireless Technology - an Enabler of Shared Services; Wi-Fi and WiMAX for Beginners; Drivers for Wireless - Transferable, Scalable, Affordable, Replicable; The Digital Challenge.
The past three years has seen an explosion in wireless technology. Hotspots in cafes and wireless home offices have demystified the technology. It has become increasingly common to see local authorities and utility companies as just some of the enterprises seeking service efficiencies through wireless technology.There are a number of flavours of wireless technology, each designed with a different purpose in mind. Telecommunications companies who have made significant investments in 3G licences provide a range of mobile phone and data transfer services through 3G networks.
Wi-Fi, commonly found in hotspots, is the wireless standard most commonly used to connect laptops and mobile devices to the Internet. Wi-Fi is also the standard upon which most wireless networks are built.
WiMAX offers an alternative to wireless networks. This emerging technology promises to reduce the cost of wireless backhaul, making wireless service delivery more cost effective for large geographic areas.
Over the next few years, all of these technologies will become available on a single device. Mobile computers and phones will automatically select the wireless network that is most effective depending on whether you are transferring data, voice or video.
Wireless Technology – An Enabler of Shared Services
A new shared services approach is required to support transformational government in the UK. Shared services will result in reduced waste and inefficiency in public service organisations by allowing for the pooling of existing assets and shared investment in future initiatives within government organisations.
What has technology got to do with shared services?
Technology is a critical aspect in addressing each of the three major challenges which globalisation is setting modern governments - economic productivity, social justice and public service reform. Examples of shared public services are already evident in the UK. For instance, in Liverpool, much work has been done in rationalising customer contact service centres.
Another shared service opportunity may be the creation of cross-borough corporate services functions for metropolitan areas such as Greater London. Much of the current duplication of effort at the borough level would be eliminated in departments such as Human Resources and Finance. This would result in improved effectiveness, more standard systems and processes and efficiency gains across the entire public sector. Likewise, data sharing across geographical boundaries would lead to less bureaucracy and higher efficiency and effectiveness in areas such as policing, health and child services. Further dividends will be achieved in freeing up back-office staff from administrative duties allowing a more customer-centric focus.
What does that mean for Local Authorities?
Moving to shared services is a major shift in culture for the public sector. It is down to government, both central and local to give strong leadership. Public service organisations that promote standardised and shared service initiatives will attract funding and will be seen as trailblazers in the drive towards transformed delivery of local government.
Rapid technology advances have consequences for local authorities wishing to invest in stable and sustainable infrastructure. Some of the major trends in technology are:
The cost of computing is steadily decreasing while capacity is growing
New forms of wireless protocols (Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc) are overcoming challenges of terrain, infrastructure and infrastructure investment
Computing and communications are converging.
The challenge is to identify the technologies that support transformation and shared services and will do so into the future.
So where does Wireless Technology come in?
Wireless technologies and standards such as Wi-Fi and WiMAX make it possible for local authorities to develop affordable communications infrastructures.
Different technologies will suit different needs. For example, Wi-Fi, found in most current installations supports basic communications and data transfer but has a range in the order of metres. Larger geographic areas, typical when sharing data across boundaries may find WiMAX technology more effective.
The WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) range is measured in kilometres however there are currently few client devices capable of using this technology. Increasingly, hybrid networks with WiMAX backhaul to cover large distances and Wi-Fi access points to allow laptops connect to the network are being deployed.
The diagram below shows the main network types and the wireless technologies associated with each. Personal (PAN), Local (LAN), Metropolitan (MAN) and Wide Area Networks (WAN) are mapped against ranges and throughputs.
Wi-Fi and WiMAX involve the use of radio-frequency microwaves for the wireless transfer of data. The major operational differentiators between these technologies are throughput and more significantly, range. While Wi-Fi was primarily designed for indoor implementations and ranges of up to 100m, WiMAX is intended for outdoor networks and much longer ranges, typical 2-6Km in an urban area.
In the unpredictable world of technology, it is largely agreed that the convergence of IT and communications is underway. Devices that do both are becoming more and more popular with mobile handheld devices, such as PDAs and Smartphones, particularly in demand. Currently, WiMAX equipment is utilised for fixed access and backhaul but the latest WiMAX IEEE 802.16e standard will ultimately support full mobility in data communication. Major players in the WiMAX field envisage this technology being integrated in laptops in the second half of 2006 with handheld devices being supported by 2008.
As a standardised technology, WiMAX does not lock the customer to a specific vendor. Rather it ensures that all standard-compliant devices will work together. Competitive pricing and economies of scale are therefore assured. Also, because WiMAX puts telecommunications onto a computing platform, costs are expected to drop dramatically over time. As an example, let’s take the wireless LAN’s cost structure: Wi-Fi access that delivered one megabit of data six years ago (the first 802.11 networks) cost in the region of £500. Today, Wi-Fi access that delivers 100 megabits costs about £15.*1
One of the challenges facing local authorities is how to understand and differentiate between the multitude of wireless infrastructures and transformative solutions available to them.
Transformative solutions must be transferable, scalable, affordable and replicable. But what does that mean to a local authority trying to make its organisation more flexible and service oriented, while attempting to deliver shared services and transformative government.
Wireless Virtualisation and Integration
Technologies that support virtualisation and integration are necessary for executing transformation agendas:
Virtualisation allows you to put your computing power and connectivity where you need it.
Integration is at the heart of transformative government and shared services. Integration of resources allows you to connect data repositories, departmental systems and customised business processes both inside departments and outside in co-existing organisations (such as the National Health Service).
Wireless networks extend your corporate network allowing you to have network-like capability so long as you are within reach of a wireless access point.
Regardless of whether your resources are in government buildings or out on the streets interacting with citizens, wirelessly integrated applications deliver real-time transaction processing (such as bill pay), data-mining (such as calling up housing benefit applications) and decision-support systems (such as determining eligibility for benefits).
Why do I want Scalable Architecture?
Scalable architectures allow a communities infrastructure to grow in line with its needs. It allows for capital investment over a period of time that caters for value based decision making.
Wireless architectures are extremely scalable, being largely a matter of adding more access points to cover larger geographic areas. Extending a wired network typically involves invasive rewiring of internal buildings or disruptive road works to lay new fibre connections between network points.
What does Replicable Mean?
Replicable means that local authorities can deploy technology solutions and know what the outcome is going to be, because it has been done before. Wi-Fi and 3G solutions have demonstrated successes and huge benefit to authorities in locations ranging from the City of London to Taipei, Taiwan. WiMAX is another complimentary standard that is emerging from successful trials in cities like Bristol. These solutions are replicable because of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics) standards they are built upon and also because of the lessons learnt by operating them.
What is a Transferable solution?
Transferable solutions are those that have taken into account the needs of different geographies and authority requirements. Throughout the UK, over two million people are employed by local councils and undertake over 700 different functions. Each of these functions is built up over many years of experience to meet the needs of a particular council so will not exactly meet the needs of another council.
The degree of commonality between councils will help determine how easily some or all of a wireless solution can be transferred. Solutions should be considered in terms of their ability to mobilise as well as their ability to transform. Mobility solutions are closer to the network and deliver messaging, video, voice and data transfer capability. Transformative applications are more difficult to transfer as they are integrated with back office systems. These are however necessary to support shared services and transformative government.
How affordable is Affordable?
Affordable solutions have become a reality through wireless technologies. Wireless technology also allows you to move your capital investment (that is the wireless devices at the edge of the network such as CCTV and noise monitoring devices) to where they are most needed. Trying to move equipment that is build on a wired connection may require significant road works, long lead times and network disruption.
Wireless technologies make it a simple matter to deploy new solutions without the need to engage in expensive environmental or street works projects. A wireless camera can be deployed for £8,000, most of that cost being the price of the camera. To deploy CCTV in a traditional fashion would, in general, require expensive street works, possible consultation with environmental groups, disruption to the street environment and so forth.
The affordability also comes because there can be multiple business cases for the same infrastructure, each sharing the capital cost and each deriving a benefit. A wireless CCTV can be used to manage traffic congestion but at the same time can also be used to manage the street environment as well as improving the safety of council employees and citizens. Rather than each organisation having their own infrastructure to invest in and maintain, they can share a common infrastructure, significantly reducing their costs and improving the quality of service that they deliver.
Local Authority Management is getting harder. Traffic congestion is increasing, communities are becoming more diverse and citizens are demanding lower taxes and higher service levels.
Local authorities are under pressure to implement changes through government transformation and efficiency programs, such as the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government and the Cabinet Office’s Shared Services Programme.
The Digital Challenge (www.digitalchallenge.gov.uk) is an initiative run by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and supported by The Corporation of London. It’s about “setting the vision for and taking the next bold and radical steps in creating a digitally enabled society”. The Challenge offers the opportunity to showcase the development of access to improved service delivery and breaking down the barriers to inclusion. The Nomad forum encourages practical examples of creative technology use and supports the Digital Challenge in the delivery of joined up working, effective service delivery and community engagement through using new broadband wireless technologies such as WiMAX.
What’s the Story so Far?
Local Authorities were encouraged to bid in consortiums with other councils and with private contractors. (E.G. Halton council is leading a five borough bid on Merseyside). Seventy-nine entries were submitted to the Digital Challenge. The consortium nature of bids suggest that 36% of authorities participated.
These are currently being evaluated and during June, ten will be selected to receive £120,000 funding towards developing their bids.
In January 2007 one of these entries will be elected the Digital Challenge winner and will receive additional support to realise their vision.
The Lessons so Far
Some trends are emerging in how local authorities manage their transformation agendas.
The process of submitting bids has encouraged authorities to think of themselves as national and international pathfinders in universal digital service provision.
The Digital Challenge has encouraged authorities to work closely together. This supports the Shared Services Programme in the Cabinet Office e-Government Unit and helps authorities to think strategically about reducing duplication of effort and working towards reducing the cost of IT infrastructure.
Local authorities have engaged meaningfully with the private sector to provide technology expertise. This has served two purposes:
Private sector can better understand the local authority transformation agenda
Local authorities have the opportunity to be at the leading edge of the development of transformation applications built on wireless technologies.
So What’s Next?
By engaging in the Digital Challenge process, local authorities have addressed many of the difficulties in addressing transformation through technology. They should now look to leverage the support of organisations such as Nomad Wireless to continue these initiatives. Project Nomad can help local authorities turn their Digital Challenge bids into efficient services to the citizen by providing technology and local authority transformation education.
The Nomad Wireless Briefing - September/October 2006
A briefing to discuss: Unwiring the Local Authority; Building a Partnership to Deliver Wireless Public Services; Planning for a Hybrid Technical Architecture; Future of the Forum - Nomad Needs You
A briefing to discuss: Wireless Technologies Supporting Business Value; Towards Transformative Government; Rural and Urban Wireless Solutions; Future of the Forum - Nomad Needs You
A briefing to discuss: Wireless Infrastructure – Choosing the Right Business Model; Wireless Technology Choices; Preparing for Mobility – Mobile Application Characteristics; Future of the Forum – Nomad Wireless Needs You!
A briefing to discuss: The Current Wireless Landscape; Wireless Technology - an Enabler of Shared Services; Wi-Fi and WiMAX for Beginners; Drivers for Wireless - Transferable, Scalable, Affordable, Replicable; The Digital Challenge.
Global Trends in Wireless Technology The wireless environment is constantly changing with new technologies, standards and devices to contend with. This article will outline some of these trends and how they impact local authorities.
Wireless Infrastructure – Choosing the right business model Local Authorities must identify the appropriate business model plan for their community, taking into account infrastructure, funding requirements, service models and community enhancement initiatives. This article will outline some of the most popular models and illustrates their success and suitability within local authorities.
Preparing for Mobility – Mobile Application Characteristics The simplification of business rules and processes that occurs with joined-up government will help authorities execute on their efficiency agendas. This article will co
In this month's issue of the Nomad Wireless Briefing - June 2006:
Local Authorities were encouraged to bid in consortiums with other councils and with private contractors. (E.G. Halton council is leading a five borough bid on Merseyside). Seventy-nine entries were submitted to the Digital Challenge. The consortium nature of bids suggest that 36% of authorities participated.