We live in a cellular world. Cell phones have transformed our daily lives, enabling us to be in constant contact with customers, vendors, and employees. One useful tool born from cellular technology is Nextel?EUR??,,????'???s Direct Connect 2-way service, which essentially turns your cell phone into a two-way radio. This has put cell phones in direct competition with traditional two-way radios. But the question is, "are new technologies necessarily better?" Solutions are all about meeting needs efficiently. When determining your needs for two-way communications, there are several things to take into account. Functionality & Reliability Direct Connect and traditional two-way systems operate very differently, and the differences in how they work directly affect their utility and effectiveness. Direct Connect operates on the same platform as cell phones. Both parties must be in range of "cell sites" that provide network access. Only then can you call someone who?EUR??,,????'???s around the corner or halfway around the world. Traditional 2-way radios create their own signal, each delivering a range of up to a several miles on their own. There are also options for expanding that range over a very wide area, if needed. This is this a major difference. If you are out of range of a "cell," or are in a dead spot, or are in an area where a high volume of cell phone use overloads a particular cell site, your phone is useless. This is especially important in emergencies when cells quickly get overloaded. Since each traditional two-way radio powers its own signal, being outside the cell network is not an issue. Short distances are easily bridged directly from radio to radio, and wider coverage is easily achieved through more powerful radios, the use of repeaters. Repeaters receive and rebroadcast two-way signals, thus extending the rage of a portable or mobile radio over a wide geographic area. Operating Environment You need to consider where and how are you planning to use these radios. Let?EUR??,,????'???s categorize coverage areas as follows: Jobsite, Wide Area, and State-to-State. ?EUR??,,????'???? Jobsite: Jobsite is usually defined as a finite area consisting of two miles or less. Direct Connect will work well as long as the parties are within range of a cell. But sometimes, especially when working inside buildings, coverage can be spotty. Traditional handheld 2-way radios used on jobsites routinely provide better coverage, as the signal they generate is more robust and better at penetrating walls and floors. ?EUR??,,????'???? Wide area: One of Direct Connect?EUR??,,????'???s advantages is that it offers coverage over your entire Nextel coverage area. That can be a big advantage. But there may be an issue if a part of the area you need to cover is outside the cell coverage area. A quick glance at their coverage map will give you a good indication if it will work for you. Two-way radios also deliver coverage over a wide area. Mobile, or vehicle-based, radios offer a much greater range than do portables (hand-helds). And as mentioned earlier, the use of repeaters can greatly extend the range of your mobile and portable radios to include areas as large as all of Southern California. It?EUR??,,????'???s quite common for two-way use to encompass an entire city or county. ?EUR??,,????'???? State-to-State: Because certain local coverage areas extend into different states, say from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Nextel?EUR??,,????'???s system may be your best choice. In fact, there is also talk about extending these direct connect capabilities between different coverage areas, so you may soon be able to use this two-way feature nationwide. If this range in a two-way mode is important, then this is a consideration. Product Features A common misconception is that "new" cellular communications offer more features than "old" two-way radios. It?EUR??,,????'???s true that cell phones offer voice, paging, text messaging, as well as access to e-mail, yet many of these features are also built into two-way radios. In fact, two-way radios offer voice, text and data communications, as well as GPS and automatic vehicle location (AVL). If you have a fleet of vehicles, two-way systems with integrated GPS/AVL technology let you monitor vehicle locations for faster response time and more efficient use of resources. Base-station software also enables dispatchers to quickly identify the closest available vehicle to a given location, analyze fleet efficiency, and perform other functions. Two questions you?EUR??,,????'???ll want to ask yourself: how many people will you have on the system, and do you want to have separate groups of people with whom you want to have private conversations? In radio parlance, this ability to set up distinct calling groups is called trunking. While both systems offer this function, there is a major difference, however, in the cost, which will be discussed later. Durability is also something you want to consider. Cell phones stand up pretty well to the daily grind for most people, but most two-way radios are designed to take far more abuse. In fact, most pass military specifications for resistance to vibration, shock, rain, etc. For jobsite use, you?EUR??,,????'???ll want a tool that can stand up to the physical rigors of the job. After all, radio downtime may affect productivity, too. Operating Costs ?EUR??,,????'??? Some Good "Old" Savings Carrying a phone that can also satisfy your two-way radio needs is certainly convenient. And most of us are willing to a pay little more for convenience. But there is a big difference between Nextel and traditional two-way radios when it comes to cost. There are actually two sets of costs that need to be considered: one-time hardware and recurring airtime. Nextel?EUR??,,????'???s cell phones range from $50 to about $250, while professional two-way radios range from $150 to several hundred dollars. So it?EUR??,,????'???s safe to say that the average cost of a two-way radio is higher than that of the cell phone. The biggest cost difference between cell phones and radios are the recurring monthly airtime costs. According to Nextel?EUR??,,????'???s recent filings with the SEC, each person outfitted with a Nextel phone is going to cost you a minimum of $816/year. If you have a lot of workers with whom you want or need to be in contact with and you give them each a phone, the costs add up. Also, phone line charges can add up quickly, and productivity may also drop, costing you more money. Also, while many Nextel plans offer unlimited Direct Connect minutes, this does not include group calling. If you set up groups in direct connect, all parties in that group are charged for the time. So a five minute Direct Connect conversation with a group of five people will cost each person in the group 15 cents per minute ?EUR??,,????'??? or a total of $3.75. Traditional two-way radios have litle or no monthly airtime costs. Aside from the initial radio costs, there are some minimal licensing fees that typically run from $350 - $400, but this gives you a 10-year license for up to 5 frequencies or channels, so you have room to grow. This represents a huge monthly costs savings. Which system is right for you? It really depends upon your needs. Technology is constantly making us re-evaluate our business options. And that?EUR??,,????'???s a good thing. But just because something is new or trendy doesn?EUR??,,????'???t mean it?EUR??,,????'???s better. Think about what you really need. Make a checklist of features you?EUR??,,????'???re looking for. Talk to a dealer who sells both types of systems. Then do the math. You may find that the "old" technology still makes more sense for a lot fewer dollars. Mark Jasin is the national sales manager for Kenwood Communications Corp. located in Suwanee, Ga.