Vertical applications include those that address functions and business-specific requirements typically associated with a particular industry or a specific company. They are typically categorized into market segments, such as field service, mobile professional, transportation, point-of-sale, telemetry and government. We will discuss these market segments next.
Field service applications have traditionally involved things such as utility services (meter reading, customer service, repair and maintenance) and high technology manufacturers' representatives. These applications support workers, whose primary work location is "in the field." Thus, data communication capability could be considered mission critical to the performance of these duties.
Some of the earliest wireless data systems were specifically designed and built to support this market segment; Ardis is a prime example of such a system, and is discussed in Chapter 9. The traffic profile for this market segment could be considered light in terms of both frequency and intensity-relatively infrequent transmissions/receptions of relatively modest amounts of data (work orders, schedules, parts' numbers, etc.).
Mobile professional applications are horizontal in nature, but vertical in terms of sales and support, and the specifics of usage. Although everyone seems to use Email in some way, the level of use varies widely and so does the purpose. (Many of us are now so dependent on Email that we simply cannot function professionally without it.)
Like the field service market segment, mobile professionals spend a significant amount of their time away from the office. But mobile professionals do typically have an office, and applications must work the same there as on the road. It is not acceptable for a mobile professional to have to do a lot of configuring, to move from the office environment to being "on the road" and vice-versa. Transparent mobility is of paramount importance to this group. This is a relatively new market segment.
The transportation market segment is usually focused on fleet management and dispatch functions. "Just where is boxcar number 701149J?" is the type of question which must be answered by this application. Often a wireless medium is coupled with a support technology, such as a global positioning system (GPS), which may be used to determine the location of a vehicle.
The key consideration of the transportation market segment is coverage - is the mobile communication service available where it is needed? Early systems supporting this market segment include NexTel (formerly Fleetcall) and other SMR/ESMR systems, which are discussed in Chapter 9.
Credit card verifications occur now at almost every point-of-sale (POS) that is established for a non-mobile location. Usually a phone number is dialed and the credit card number is entered; shortly thereafter an "accept" or "reject" code is returned and the transaction is completed. This same assurance of payment can now be enjoyed by taxi drivers, package deliverers, espresso-cart vendors, vendors at public markets and others with mobile wireless communications capability.
The key factors in the POS market segment are reliability, cost and responsiveness. Financial transactions must be secure and function in an all-or-nothing mode of operation.
Telemetry is another important vertical market segment. Many machines and services operate remotely, where it is often uneconomical to maintain these systems. Being able to have the device "phone home" rather than requiring routine visits by maintenance personnel can greatly extend the scope of such services.
For example, operators of vending machines would benefit from an application that provides remote inventory control. Instead of requiring a worker to personally inspect each machine and perform an itemized inventory, an application could be developed which tracks purchases and sends notifications to the suppliers of the current stock on hand. This would provide much greater efficiencies in stocking remote locations. Although vending machines are generally stationary devices, they are considered a mobile data application because they could be placed anywhere (subject to the availability of power).
Key factors in the telemetry market segment include low cost (both mobile unit and subscription fees) and reliability (of both the mobile unit and the service itself).
A large vertical market segment is that of government agencies. Examples are law enforcement and emergency services. This segment encompasses a wide scope of activities with differing requirements, reflecting the range of missions undertaken by various branches of the government. Thus, key factors could include reliability, ruggedness and fault tolerance (of both the mobile device and the network), and speed. This market is usually geographically bounded and often regional or local in nature. Largely as a result, this has proven to be one of the most prolific early adopters of technology, such as CDPD.