Mobile communication in newspaper distribution and transport

Newspaper distribution and transport are time critical operations where a large number of people are needed to work in a coordinated way. Even though the process is, in principle, repeated in a similar way every night, different kind of disturbances and problems occur during the night. By utilising mobile communication, people working in different locations can be reached, and problems solved. Mobile communication technology can also be utilised for communication between newspaper deliverers who operate as a team, where each member may adapt his or her work according to up-to-the-minute information of the whole production process. Mobile information technology can also be utilised in giving deliverers information of valid subscriptions by transferring the information in electronic form to electronic devices. With the help of realtime control and tracking, the entire delivery process can be optimised and the quality of the process improved. This paper presents the pilot systems and solutions developed to enable work related communication in a newspaper distribution organisation, and the experiencies gained in practical field tests. The tests showed what kind of benefits can be gained with these new tools, and also, how the currently available technology is able to meet the challenges of professional usage in real environment.