SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), today announced
that it has been selected to provide service and phones equipped with
GPS tracking capabilities to Tri County Community Council in Bonifay,
Fla. The Council is a private, government-funded agency that offers
public transportation to elderly, indigent and mentally or physically
challenged residents to address their medical and immediate personal
needs.
SouthernLINC
Wireless is supplying 143 highly durable Motorola
i335 phones equipped with the company’s
premier Push to Talk two-way radio feature to Tri County Community
Council’s drivers, dispatchers and
administrative staff. Sixty-eight of the handsets include iTRAKjava™,
a business-grade GPS tracking application for commercial fleets. Used in
conjunction with the iTRAKjava-enabled phones, Web-based iTRAK Fleet
Manager™ provides dispatchers with real-time
location and route tracking of the Council’s
fleet.
"We needed a technology that would improve our
communications and enable us to immediately respond to urgent
transportation requests,” said Joel Paul,
executive director of Tri County Community Council. "The
SouthernLINC Wireless network and phones with Push to Talk two-way radio
service, coupled with GPS tracking solutions from iTRAK, allow our
drivers and dispatchers to immediately connect at the touch of a button
while staying focused on safely serving the community –
resulting in more efficient routes and effective customer care.”
Residents of Bay, Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton
and Washington counties depend on Tri County Community Council to
transport those who otherwise would not have a way to get to medical
appointments or to the store for personal needs. SouthernLINC Wireless
benefits Tri County Community Council and the northwest Florida region
by providing iTRAK and Push to Talk technology that enables dispatchers
to monitor vehicle locations via GPS tracking and immediately
communicate with drivers. This ensures that the driver closest to a
client’s location responds –
facilitating efficient transport and cost savings to the Council.
"Tri County Community Council is a very
forward-thinking agency; it is the first of its kind in Florida to have
GPS tracking capabilities via wireless phones,”
said Michael Smith, public sector general manager, SouthernLINC
Wireless. "The rest of the state should look
to them as a model for implementing innovative wireless communications.”
Tri County Community Council employees have been using SouthernLINC
Wireless phones since April.
About SouthernLINC Wireless
SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is an
Atlanta-based regional wireless carrier covering the major metro and
rural areas in Alabama, Georgia, southeastern Mississippi and northwest
Florida. SouthernLINC Wireless bundles multiple communication options
into one phone including Push to Talk two-way radio, cellular service,
text messaging, wireless Internet access and wireless data. More
information about SouthernLINC Wireless can be obtained by calling
1-800-818-LINC (5462) or visiting the SouthernLINC Wireless Web site at www.southernlinc.com.
About Southern Company
With nearly 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of
generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the
premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s
fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of electricity,
Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing
competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless
communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer
service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are
significantly below the national average. Southern Company has been
listed the top ranking U.S. electric service provider in customer
satisfaction for nine consecutive years by the American Customer
Satisfaction Index. Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.
About Tri County Community Council
Tri County Community Council is a nonprofit Community Action Agency
serving Bay, Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and
Washington counties in Northwest Florida providing services for elderly,
indigent and mentally or physically challenged residents. Community
services, Head Start and transportation are the largest program areas
"Helping People Help Themselves."
About iTRAK Corporation
iTRAK Corporation (formerly Data Burst Technologies) was founded in 1995
as a developer of GPS-based wireless tracking systems. iTRAK Fleet
Manager is used by thousands of fleet managers throughout North America.
The solution has been embraced by decision-makers in diverse markets
such as construction services, plumbing/HVAC, trucking, school
transportation, landscaping, towing and recovery, electrical
contracting, waste disposal and public safety. The company’s
principal offices and network operations center are located in Woodland
Park, Colo. For more information, visit www.itrak.com.
(iTRAK is a registered trademark and iTRAK Fleet Manager and iTRAK
Messenger are trademarks of iTRAK Corporation.)