Month: April 2011

On the 1st April 2011, 8 men started an incredible journey, a journey of a lifetime. Their aim is to trek across 200 nautical miles to successfully reach the North Pole with 4 wounded soldiers, two of which are amputees. If they achieve this goal, they will be the first amputees to reach the North Pole, unsupported. This will require unbelievable strength, stamina and skill throughout their 1 month long expedition.

They are doing this to support the future of the many young men and women have suffered life-changing injuries during the course of duty in the Armed Forces. When the wounded return home, they face a very different future, possibly one outside of the Forces.

The 4 military service men undertaking this inspirational journey now seek to rebuild their lives, to inspire and to help others follow their lead as they set out to prove that injuries and amputations need not be a barrier to achievement. The charity, Walking with the Wounded, aims to raise £2m for identified education projects and training courses. Funds raised will help rehabilitate injured service personnel back into employment. His Royal Highness, Prince Harry, a patron of the charity, is joining the team for 5 days during the course of the expedition.

When they first started pulling the team together, over 100 applicants had their hopes on 1 of the final 4 places. Each man will pull a sled weighing more than 100kg in temperatures varying between minus 15C to minus 50C. Accompanied by expert guides, they will face low temperatures, fields of floating ice rubble and the threat of aggressive polar bears.

Henry Cookson, in charge of Logistics and Training, knew that communications were critical. Alternative Networks plc, the charity’s chosen communications provider, contacted Cellhire plc, a Global Mobile Service provider with expertise in providing satellite communications to the MOD.

Cellhire provided advice on the options available and suggested Iridium satellite phones, Data Suites and cabling as the most economical solution. In addition the selected communications kit was practical, not adding a large amount of weight to their already heavy sleds. The kit was put to the test during the pre deployment trials in Norway earlier in the year.

Matt Bennett, MD of Cellhire Plc commented, “We are grateful to be given the opportunity to support Alternative Networks and Walking With the Wounded. This trek is an inspiring, challenging expedition. We wish the team a safe journey across the ice and snow. And we look forward to sharing their experience as they communicate via their blog.”

The 7 Iridium 9555 satellite phones will be on hand for vital communications while the Data suits will be used for uploading daily logs and blog feeds to the Walking With the Wounded website where anyone can follow the teams amazing trek.

As New Zealand prepares to host the World Cup in September and October, many rugby supporters will be planning their itinerary in order to get the most out of the matches, venues and festivals. New Zealand is a wonderful land to explore and many World Cup goers will want to share their experience with those at home.

To keep communication costs down, Cellhire has worked with Vodafone NZ to create a bespoke short-term event rental package for the World Cup 2011. The two organisations have had a long-standing business relationship since 2005, resulting in some great voice and airtime rates and cost savings for anyone travelling to New Zealand for the World Cup. Together they will offer short-term rental solutions for both voice and data.

The device portfolio of communication solutions will include premium and economy handsets for mobile phone rental, BlackBerry rental, USB modem rental, MiFi rental plus SIM only options for both voice and data including a new Smartphone 1GB data bundle – all on local Vodafone New Zealand airtime. Additional savings will be made with FREE calls to Cellhire SIM cards plus NO call connection fee.**

Using a New Zealand local SIM card will mean that users will not be roaming and incurring high roaming charges. Here is an illustration of possible savings for a small business:

Voice*

A person who talks for:

• 100 minutes receiving calls will save £43
• 100 minutes calling within NZ will save £31
• 100 minutes calling to another Cellhire Vodafone NZ SIM will save £43
• 100 minutes calling back to the UK, will save £15
• 100 text messages will save £10

Total Voice savings on one device £142

Data*

A person with a USB modem who uses:

• 2GB of data will save £12218
• 4 GB of data will save £4016

A person with a smart phone who uses:

• 200 MB of data will save £1150
• 400 MB of data will save £2350

Not everyone is a heavy data user, but a savings of £6 per MB can add up. If a heavy data user chooses the 1GB smart phone data bundle, for making FaceTime calls, downloading content and checking emails they will save £6094 if the full allowance is used. In addition, the Cellhire DataManager app can be used with the Cellhire USB modem to track data usage and warn if usage is about to hit a specified limit. Any heavy data user who has experienced data shock will quickly understand the value of this free service.

With the rise in use of smart phones and new technology such as FaceTime calling, sharing experiences at events is wonderful and exciting. Keeping costs of voice and data usage down will help more people attending the World Cup in New Zealand enjoy this technology, share their experiences and avoid bill shock on their return home.

*This illustration is based on comparison to the O2 ITS tariff, a current tariff on the date this article was written 30 March 2011.

**This fee is based on listed fees published by a competitor offering phone rental for the World Cup.

For more information visit Cellhire’s mobile and data products for the NZ 2011.