If this story about General Wireless moves you to send an e-mail to company president David Mears, there’s no telling where he’ll be when he taps out a reply.
He might be preparing for a breakfast meeting at a downtown restaurant or riding an elevator or not even in the city.
Wherever he is – who knows, maybe even at his office! – Mears is in touch with the world. So are the people on his sales team, because the current wireless data revolution is General Wireless’s key area of expertise.
“Our mission is simple,” Mears says. “It’s to provide mobile freedom to business – through wireless data and voice solutions.”
The Calgary-based company does this by taking the latest breakthroughs in mobile software and hardware to many businesses, including some of the biggest in their markets. General Wireless also prides itself in having a knowledgeable corporate account team proficient in mobile data and voice technologies.
“The real boom, probably for the next five years, will be this wireless data, and data convergence. That’s really where the market’s at.”
This boom’s origins go back about a decade when cellphones arrived. Now they are commonplace, and a new wave of hand-held, wireless devices is here, going well beyond the e-mail pagers that dazzled everybody just a few years ago.
New devices tempt not just the gadget lovers among us but also the serious business people who need to stay on top of technology in the interests of their bottom line.
“Now, you’re getting your PC and your mobile device in one,” Mears says.
“That’s where General Wireless has made our footprint. We sell a number of mobile wireless devices, where you get your e-mail, your personal address book and your phone, all in one.”
As Mears talks about this by phone, he explains: “I’ve got a device in front of me that can actually open Power Point presentations. It has full functionality and can read any Microsoft suite of products and make you fully mobile.”
The hardware and software sold by General Wireless include such respected brands as Palm, Hewlett Packard, Blackberry, Compaq, Handango, Novatel, CSI Wireless and Rogers AT & T Wireless.
Mears, whose background is in finance, left that field two years ago to start General Wireless when he saw what some of his better clients had figured out – this wireless future.
“We were financing software companies that were building applications to put on these new, small devices. Their vision was to be able to put everything on your hip pocket and have all the functionality.
“Two years ago, it was only a pipe dream.”
Now, it’s not only a reality, but a necessity for a growing number of corporations and organizations served by General Wireless, including such oil and gas companies as EnCana, transportation firms, educationalinstitutions, the Calgary Health Region and local and national law firms, Bennett Jones among them.
“We’ve found that it’s not really a sales process for us. It’s more of an educational process. It’s not tough to get sales. The real challenge is ultimately teaching our customers how to use these devices and improve their time and synergies.
“For us, it means staying on top of trends and what’s going on, trying out the new devices and finding how they would benefit our clients.
General Wireless not only pays close attention to the North American market, it takes a global view of technology, including the digital GSM/GPRS platform of data transmission used by 80 per cent of the world.
“One of our larger customers has offices throughout Asia,” Mears says. “They can be in Hong Kong or Singapore or Calgary and have seamless transmission of their e-mails and everything else. That’s the power of the GSM/GPRS network.”
Whenever a new device is introduced, Mears and his team are eager to get their hands on it.
“Our people are passionate about what they like and what they do, and there’s always competition for the devices when they come through the door, to see who gets them first.”
He adds with a laugh: “It’s usually me. I’m a gadgets guy and most of us are here. It is always neat to see the new toys and it’s nice to go to a reception or a restaurant with the latest toy and have it out. People start crowding around you to see it.
“But what’s just as important, our folks have worked in the corporate environment – some of them at Nortel and Telus – so they know the client’s expectations. Our customers are most happy that they can actually call somebody who has some knowledge and will help them understand the device they’re using and make them more efficient, as well.”
For more information, e-mail info@generalwireless.ca; phone 403.228.4350; fax 403.228.4359; or go to www.generalwireless.ca.
