UPS is making a $200 million global investment in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular technology - a move which will create the largest WiFi network in the world.
UPS, with annual revenue of $33 billion, said the project should speed up package-tracking and help create customized services.
The first phase of the largely in-house project will involve equipping package sorters with Bluetooth barcode scanners – worn on a middle finger–that send tracking data to Wi-Fi transmitters worn on belts. Previously, scanners were connected to data collection devices by cables that could break.
UPS expects to reduce repair costs by 35 percent and gain similar savings on the cost of spare equipment. The company said the project will create the largest Wi-Fi network in the world, connecting 55,000 devices when it is completed in 2007.
Read more at CNET News.com.
