Mobility service providers offer an array of wireless solutions.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY

Perhaps nowhere else in the country do businesses appreciate mobility services more than in Alaska, with its more than six hundred thousand square miles encompassing metropolitan areas, rural communities, and remote villages. Mobile communications allow users to interact--regardless of the location--without visible wires, using a host of portable devices like laptops, cell phones, smartphones, satellite phones, two-way radios, tablets, phablets, iPods, and even Kindles.

Alaska's telecommunications and technology companies offer a variety of solutions to help employees stay connected while they're on the go. Here's a summary of some of these mobility service providers, their offerings, and approaches to doing business.

Verizon Communications

Customers of Verizon Communications, Inc. can connect to the 4G LTE (fourth-generation Long Term Evolution) network through smartphones, tablets, jetpacks, and routers, plus a wide variety of intelligent sensors and other connected devices.

Verizon, the nation's largest wireless company, is the first and only carrier in Alaska to offer high-definition voice and video calling on all smartphones, according to Demian Voiles, Verizon VP for Alaska. And with one click from their contact list, customers can turn an HD voice call into a video call. "With the new advanced calling features, voice calls are delivered over Verizon's 4G LTE network, instead of an old voice network. You need to hear HD voice to understand the difference," Voiles says.

One of the most popular Verizon solutions in Alaska is business continuity, including wireless failover. This solution, which starts at $10 a month, provides wireless Internet backup for mission-critical services during storm-related outages.

Customers can also leverage Verizon's fleet monitoring services to improve efficiency and security. Verizon Networkfleet's proprietary GPS vehicle tracking and engine diagnostic technologies provide accurate and timely data on motion, temperature, tank levels, pressure, and more. "With both cellular and satellite options, owners receive near-constant updates on the health of their fleet and assets in the field," Voiles says.

Verizon also has innovations to help companies improve communication efficiency and enable better device management for IT professionals. For instance, Push to Talk Plus service gives customers the ability to communicate instantly one-to-one or with a group of team members, co-workers, or clients over 4G LTE or Wi-Fi while enjoying a faster connection and less latency.

The company is also in the pilot stage with a Verizon Mobile Device Enrollment program that will enable customers to enroll all Apple devices purchased from Verizon into Apple's Device Enrollment Program. Apple's program is a value-added service that simplifies the mobile device management process to help businesses, schools, and other organizations easily deploy and manage iPads and iPhones.

IT professionals can also leverage Verizon's new Mobile Device Management tool. This solution integrates enterprise firmware "over the air" management and device diagnostics into a single, unified, and intuitive customer experience. "The platform offers a cost-effective way...