Cell phone alternatives: new generation of two-way radios and pagers provides advanced features and uses.

• Author: Held, Shari
• Position: COMMUNICATIONS

WHILE MANY BUSINESSES consider cell phones a necessary tool of the trade, they are not the answer for every business need. Here's a look at two long-standing business tools that just keep getting better.

Digital two-way radio. "The biggest selling advantage of the two-way radio is that you can talk one-to-one or one-to-many, and you are in control of that," says Daphne Knox, marketing. director for Ligonier-based Emergency Radio Service. ERS has offices in Elkhart, South Bend, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Muncie and Kokomo.

With the introduction of MOTOTRBO, the first digital two-way radio system from Motorola, the capabilities of two-way radio expanded. Digital two-way radios provide twice the calling capacity for the price of one. license and can function up to 40 percent longer between recharges compared to analog radios. Users enjoy less static and noise reduction and increased clarity over a further distance. Plus the digital radios offer GPS tracking and text messaging features.

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"There's nothing else like it in the industry right now," Knox says. "It makes it easy and more affordable for people to move from analog to digital. Businesses can continue to use their existing radios and phase in the MOTOTRBO units two or three at a time versus buying a complete new system at one time. There is less upfront expense."

Paging all personnel. Despite the fact there haven't been any huge advancements in paging technology over the last year, it has enjoyed its share of the limelight--thanks to recent disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the London bombings. "With a cell phone ... you are dialing one user after another," says Michael Lyons, COO and CTO for LaPorte-based Indiana Paging Network, which also has offices in Indianapolis and LaGrange, Ill. "Paging is one of those technologies where you can send one message and reach tens of thousands of users. That is why it fares well in disasters. Paging has been highlighted as one of the mediums that responders should rely on because of its network resilience, redundancies and backups."

"The paging industry has seen recent growth in...