Is the Pager Dead Yet?

From the outset of human civilization, man has always had the desire to communicate with one another from a distance. For thousands of years, simple devices were used: cupped hands for shouting, drums of various sizes, conch shells, homing pigeons, and let us not forget the highly popular smoke signal method of communication.

Fortunately for us (and the environment!), modern-day life provides much more convenient and highly effective methods for communicating with one another. The last quarter century has produced some of the most sophisticated communications devices ever imagined. But....

This month, let us take a stroll down memory lane to a time when Blackberries and Apples were considered a tasty fruit. A time when a "smart phone" was the more expensive model that featured loud and soft ring settings. An era not so long ago where one wireless communications device ruled the airwaves - and having one was considered the "status" symbol of the day. We are of course referring to the pager (or "beeper" as we affectionately called them).

Fast-forward 30 years, and you may have the wild notion that the pager is dead and gone - a forgotten tool whose present-day purpose is simply to adorn the electronic scrap heaps of a simple yet bygone era.

This is not the case however. Pagers are alive and well in the 21st century. And, as crazy as it my sound, employing a pager into your business life may even save you some money.

A Quick Pager Refresher Course

For those that do not know exactly how pagers work, (or for those too young to remember), the following is a quick refresher course. A pager is a small telecommunications device that receives (and, in some cases, transmits) alert signals and/or short messages. Two types of pagers still exist: the numeric pager, and the alphanumeric. Each can easily fit into a shirt pocket or attach to a belt. Pagers operate through telephone (or e-mail) messages sent by the caller. A voice message prompts the caller to either leave a voice message or to manually enter the telephone number where they can be reached.

21st Century Applications for the Pager

As dated and antiquated some may consider the pager to be, businesses continue to invent new uses for it.

Have you ever dropped in to a favorite restaurant only to find that there is a 30-40 minute wait? Rather than yell or broadcast your name over an intercom when your table was ready, many restaurants have wised up and are now employing pager notification systems for alerting patrons.

Take the pager with you anywhere, (even outside the restaurant) and it will vibrate or light up when your table is ready. These are the most basic types of pagers, broadcasting frequencies to a small area - but they certainly do the job.

Paging is also in use within the agricultural industry. Irrigation systems are often controlled by paging technology to tell remote irrigation controllers when to begin watering and for what duration. Some controllers have additional features such as multiple programs to allow different watering frequencies for different types of plants, rain delay settings, input terminals for sensors such as rain and freeze sensors, soil moisture sensors, weather data, remote operation, etc.

Finally, a paging idea that will surely delight the Saturday afternoon backyard grilling crowd. The wireless Barbecue Thermometer with built-in pager! This is a must-have item that will soon be on the wish list of every pro and amateur grilling enthusiast.

Here's the problem: Different types, sizes and weights of food always make it difficult to determine the proper temperature and length of cooking time. In the past, grillers were forced to hang around the grill and constantly check the temperature of the food to be certain meats were cooked as required. But this problem is now a thing of the past! This handy BBQ thermometer allows you to simply insert the metal probe into your food, then select the desired temperature setting from the chart included. The alarm will automatically sound on the main unit sending an alert to the remote pager to tell you when your food is done...its that easy!

In addition to the uses listed above, the pager in some form or another is being used in the home, for the car, even for pets. Take a look at the products on the left of this newsletter to get a better idea as to how far the pager has come.

Isn't it about time we gave the pager the respect it deserves?

That's it for this month. If you have questions regarding specific telecom cost-reduction strategy, wireless, or a telecom audit or telecom bill management need, or if you just need help with your pager, please don't hesitate to contact us today or call us toll-free at 1-888-383-3200, Ext. 5900.

or simply...

Table of Contents