s.press 2009/1 en

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www.swissphone.com

More efficient fleet management thanks to DiCal-wireless data module Page 6

The SWISSPHONE TRIO locates even indoor accident victims Page 8

40 yEARS SWISSPHONE From pager producer to integrated solutions provider 6

Issue 1 | 2009

The Swissphone Magazine for Public Safety & Industry

INSIDE

CONTENTS

Editorial 03

PRODUCTS

Swissphone pager: The fine distinction 04

The Swissphone wireless data modulesimplifies fleet management 06

SOLUTIONSWorkplace safety: THE SWISSPHONE TRIO locates indoors and outdoors 08

Safety headquarters of Bosch Rexroth AG: On duty around the clock 10

SOLUTIONS

Swissphone repeaters expandMCA wireless network services 12

The St. Gallen fire brigade:From church bell to pager 14

BACKGROUND40 years Swissphone: With visionary imagination to the forefront of the alerting industry 16

EVENTSSwissphone on the move 20

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EDITORIALDear clients and business partners,

Swissphone is turning 40 this year. At the age of 40, you’ve truly grown up, and, apart from a few scars, have also gained a lot of experience and set a few milestones.

For me, it has been 40 years of challenges. Looking back, I would first like to thank all our clients for believing in us and for co-developing smart solutions from new ideas in tandem with us. However, I would most importantly like to thank my colleagues and staff, who have made Swissphone what it is today: A leading international company for alerting relief units to protect human lives and material assets.

Swissphone is a family-run business with subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad. And the next gener-ation is already collaborating actively: My son Michael has been managing the newly founded subsidiary Swissphone LLC in Denver, Colorado, since 1 January 2009. After setting up the U.S. firm, he will take over operations management of the Swissphone Group. For our clients and staff, it is important to know that in future, Swissphone will still be the reliable partner you can count on. And this is guaranteed with the already introduced succession plan.

In this edition of “s.press”, you will find solutions for mobile blue light usage and for fulfilling an old wish, namely location within buildings. The SWISSPHONE TRIO is the key product for a new task area: It serves to protect people in danger-ous work environments. You will find more infor-mation about this on pages 8 and 9.

I would once again like to thank you very much for your partnership, and look forward to your challenges, even in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Helmut Köchler and family

Helmut Köchler, President of the Board


PRODUCTS

Author: Andreas Rottensteiner · Marketing, Swissphone Telecom AG, Samstagern

Swissphone pager:

The fine distinctionFor more than 40 years now, Swissphone has been on the move in the mobile alert services market. Starting out with analogue 5-tone pagers, the company has developed digital POCSAG-alerting over the years. Time and again, Swissphone has been implementing new pagers with modern applications and individual customised solutions according to the customer’s needs.

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Swissphone pagers are programmed for the specific needs of your organisation. Simple standard functions are combined with flexible organisational structures. Single calls and group calls allow maximum flexibility with special profile settings. The latter now even allow the device to be used in a variety of alerting networks.

More expensive, yet more worthwhile

For purchases, costs represent a substantial basis for decision-making. Swissphone pagers may be somewhat more expensive to buy than other models. However, if one considers the cost-benefit calculation over a longer period of time, Swissphone pagers win the race. If properly programmed for example, power consumption is reduced many times over. Costs can also be markedly reduced by using battery chargers. In addition, Swissphone pagers are very robust. Should a defect arise nonetheless, the Swissphone repair service will also continue to help for at least another seven years after the particular pager model has been officially discontinued.

Quiet, yet loud

Apart from vibrator and beeper settings, flexible settings are also part of the standard range of choices for Swissphone pagers. These allow you to assign a specific call pattern to each call address. In addition, the beeper’s sound outlet opening has been refined. With 85 decibel (A), the new generation of devices is as loud as a motorised chain saw at a distance of ten meters. Swissphone thereby ensures that every member of the organi-isation not only receives, but also takes notice of the call. And with the optional priority alert, a noiseless alert becomes a loud alert if it is ignored.

Fast, yet safe

Fast and safe alerting is vital, for each alerting orga-nisation is charged with arriving at the place of action within the shortest possible time. With its two functions, Express Alarm and Turbo Paging, Swissphone has expedited alerting without compro-mising reception dependability.

Simple, yet complex

With their three big operating buttons and their scroll function, Swissphone pagers are designed for convenient handling. Moreever complex and newly developed functions offer a variety of advant-ages: For example, while the device is inactive, the ECO-mode sets it into sleep mode which switches off the display and thus increases the operating time. In the meantime, the pager will of course remain ready-to-receive.

Customised, yet compatible

From single calls to group calls right up to dynamic classification: Swissphone has the optimal solution for any organisation. All pagers have the same interface so that the Swissphone charger can be used both for analogue as well as for digital pagers.

Standardised, yet special

Each organisation has specific needs and re-quirements. With the DE9xx family of pagers, Swissphone provides a standard range of products that nonetheless offers widely differing spe-cifications. The DE920 Ex for example is designed for use in dangerous air-gas mixtures. Further-more, Swissphone now offers the pager case in red and white according to the customer's special request.

Encrypted, yet legible

IDEA™-encryption ensures absolute discretion in pager alerts. On top of that, protection against improper manipulation is becoming ever more impor-tant. It is now possible to protect your pager from unauthorised programming. Separate from the programmable keylock, the power-up lock is a new feature. If this is set up, incoming messages are audibly announced but cannot be viewed without entering the code. That way, confidential messages can be protected from strangers’ eyes. Large display lettering in combination with power background illumination, additionally, improves general legibility.

Track structure of the DE925

PRODUCTS

The DiCal-wireless data module (DiCal-FDM) offers data transfer with transmission and reception of telegrams via several wireless channels, for example via 2-meter digital wireless, 4-meter analogue wireless, GSM and in future also via Tetra digital wireless. These wireless channels can be used simultaneously. That way, data transfer from and to the vehicle can be selected according to availability, speed, safety and bandwidth criteria.

Direct communication with the hospital

Among others, a navigation system and a device to record patient data can also be connected to the wireless data module. The DiCal-FDM thus significantly simplifies rescue service work: For example, the availability of hospital beds can already be inquired about while on route to the hos-pital in the ambulance or rescue vehicle already.

Swissphone’s DiCal-wireless data module represents a communication interface between a head office and the individual vehicles of a vehicle fleet. In combination with a navigation device or a mobile unit, for example for patient data acquisition and billing, rescue service work can be made significantly more efficient.

Fleet managementmade simple

The new Swissphone-DiCal wireless data module

Author: Alexander Hermann · Product Manager, Swissphone Telecommunications GmbH, Gundelfingen

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FDM will soon also be a POCSAG monitor

Swissphone is currently working hard on further developing the wireless data module. A new model of the tried and tested “wireless turntable” will be available in the near future. Apart from the conventional applications, a multitude of new functions will open up additional areas of application. For example, the new DiCal-FDM can also be used as a POCSAG monitor. The integrated POCSAG module with PLL technology is capable of analysing any number of RIC addresses (radio identification code) and displays RSSI value (received signal strength indication) for each telegram received. The RSSI value provides information on signal strength and enables users to make inferences on network quality that can then be improved by applying appropriate measures. This data can be transferred to a computer either via the GSM network or directly via a LAN interface and analysed there.

Now also tetra-enabled

Wireless brokering functions will also become avail-able before long. In the course of the conversion to the digital government wireless system “Tetra” in Germany, many vehicles will be equipped with a conventional analogue mobile device and also with a Tetra device during this transition period which is expected to last several years. In this situation,

being able to switch wireless circuits rapidly (brokering), and being able to use all mobile devices with only one handset, is enormously helpful. Up to four wireless circuits and the GSM telephony service can in future be individually “tempered” in volume and as an option be transmitted to two handsets and two loudspeakers.

Improved speech quality

Speech quality will be improved as well. In order to suppress the noise interference of FMS telegrams (“Funk-Melde-System”, wireless messaging system) in analogue wireless service, the low frequency signal is first digitalised. An ARM processor recog-nises the FMS telegrams and filters them from the data stream before it gets re-analogised and trans-mitted on the loudspeakers. This allows speech quality to remain unimpaired – unlike in purely ana-logue suppression.

Six inlet and four outlet switches

Last but not least, the new wireless data module will also put on weight as far as inlets and outlets are concerned. Apart from the inlets provided for the speedometer and the firing impulse, four additional galvanically isolated optical couplers and four outlet switches will now be available.

The wireless data module offers a wide range of functionalities for fleet management:

Cyclic position communication to the control centre Analysis of broadcast requests on the part of the

control centre Manual status change via the navigation device

with automatic position broadcast Brief text display up to 240 characters per

message Brief text display also on an additional display Split screen display, 5 rows at 19 characters

each, and parallel card Selection “Brief text display” and “Status input”

per remote control of the navigation device

Hotkeys for the most recent message, whole text display, full-image card Manual status input also via remote control of the

navigation device Tactical brief information signalises status source

(FDM or handset) Presetting the preferred channels for transfer

and back transfer Mobile data transfer via FFSK and GPRS Locating via GPS receiver possible even without

navigation system Mileage input for alignment with the speedometer

Navigation device with split screen display: Navigation and applica-tion text

Author: Alexander Hermann · Product Manager, Swissphone Telecommunications GmbH, Gundelfingen

SOLUTIONS

An emergency is, for example, an accident, an acute illness, or a state of anxiety. If the employee is still capable of acting after the accident, he/she can call for help immediately with one push of the SOS-button for the personal emergency call system by Swissphone. If, however, the accident victim has lost consciousness and is therefore no longer able to act, the emergency call must be placed automatically. For this purpose, the SWISSPHONE TRIO is equipped with positional, motion and acceleration sensors that will automatically trigger an emergency call in the event of a fall or in case of prolonged loss of consciousness.

GPS for working afield

If the affected employee is outdoors, in a critical situ-ation his geographical position is pinpointed by means of the GPS receiver built into the SWISSPHONE

TRIO and conveyed to the head office via GSM. Within a building, however, GPS signals can no longer be received. But Swissphone offers a solution for this scenario as well.

In-house positioning with transmitters

The Swissphone position transmitter can be placed independent of the network inside buildings, tunnels or even in canals. It transmits its current position, which is recorded by the SWISSPHONE TRIO in the corresponding reception area. In an emergency, the last recorded position of the transmitter is conveyed to the head office, thereby narrowing down the area where the afflicted person can be found. That way, it only takes a few seconds to determine where the employee who has suffered an accident is located.

Author: Oliver Schätti · Product Manager, Business Unit Mobile Protection, Swissphone Telecom AG, Samstagern

Workplace safety: The SWISSPHONE TRIO locates indoors and outdoors

Every person working by themselves should have the opportunity to call for help at any time near their workplace. In order to ensure a quick rescue, it is important to know where the accident victim is located. This can be inside a building, or outside in the field. Swissphone offers a solution for both cases that allows the accident casualty to be found promptly.

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Modular mapping material

The faster the head office knows where the accident victim is located, the faster and the more effi-ciently help can be organised. A graphic display of the company grounds and of building or canal blueprints on the screen will facilitate orientation. That way, the dispatcher can understand at a glance in which building, on which floor, and in which room the accident victim is located.

For a graphic display of building and landscape maps, and specifically for the work safety sector, Swissphone has developed the communi-cation and visualisation platform “IMASYS Map”. With this platform, the location of accident victims both inside as well as outside of buildings can be displayed.

“IMASYS Map” functions can be integrated without any problems into third-party applications – thisin case a dispatch system is already operating.

Fields of application for the SWISSPHONE TRIOContinuous monitoring by the personal emergency call system SWISSPHONE TRIO is suitable for applications in the following sectors:

Electric companies

Building companies Tunnelling Road construction

Transportation/logistics

Public services Forestry Refuse incinerators Sewage plants Landfills

Security companies

Workplace safety: The SWISSPHONE TRIO locates indoors and outdoors

The Swissphone “IMASYS Map” visualisation platform displays the location of casualties on the screen.

SOLUTIONS

Safety headquarters of the

Bosch Rexroth AG: On duty around the clock

Interview: Angelika Maier · Marketing, Swissphone Systems GmbH, Stuttgart

In September 2008, the dispatch system secur.CAD was put into operation at the safety headquarters of Bosch Rexroth AG. The safety headquarters coordinates the factory fire department, the internal rescue service as well as the monitoring of production facilities. Sebastian Bahner who is in charge of safety engineering points out which role the new dispatch system is playing.

Swissphone Systems: What responsibilities does the factory fire department have at Bosch Rexroth compared to a local fire department?

Sebastian Bahner: The responsibilities of the factory fire department are very similar to those of public fire services and include, among others, fire-fighting, technical assistance, and rescue service. We not only provide rescue services within the company but are also a care provider with public authori-sation for the Main-Spessart county. As a factory fire department, we furthermore take an active part in environmental protection. This requires a lot of equipment and in-depth training, in view of the numerous hazardous substances being used in the various plant units. For the Main-Spessart county, we also provide part of the hazardous sub-stances training with our hazardous substances combat vehicle, in addition to the vehicles and outfits of surrounding fire departments.

What do the tasks of the safety headquarters consist of in detail?

Our safety headquarters is staffed 24 hours a day and is the contact point for all aspects of company safety. We are in charge of the alarm system with more than 6500 smoke alarms, burglary report

lines as well as machine connections. Added to this is the retrieval of the internal distress call 112 which we use for all danger averting as well as pro-cedures surveillance activities and the handlingof factory security technologies. Within the Rexroth group, the safety headquarters is the first point of contact for all employees at home and abroad. In the event of damage inside the plant, as well as catastrophes such as earthquakes and storms, they contact the safety headquarters if important information must reach the corporate head office at night and on weekends.

Did you have to modify internal processes to enable you to work with secur.CAD?

We did modify some processes, but not because secur.CAD required it. With the consistent application of the control centre software, new as-pects opened up that we were able to integrate into existing processes. We were thus able to or-ganise procedures to run more quickly, safely and more cheaply. Now for example, we can locate our factory security employees on their inspec-tion rounds in the plant better than before and deploy them more quickly, with the geographical routing dispatch. The simpler and more efficient information transfer via SMS and FMS-short text transfer also makes its presence felt here. It relieves the dispatcher at safety headquarters from having to perform routine tasks such as time-consuming telephone calls and wireless conversations.

Which improvements were you able to make by using secur.CAD?

In addition to clearly improved documentation, numer-ous preliminary planning measures for both individual orders and standing orders ensured that orders were processed on time. Connections such

Sebastian Bahner, Officer for the safety equipment and features at Bosch Rexroth AG

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as SMS and FMS-short text transfer take the pressure off the dispatcher and provide him with sufficient freedom to perform supportive measures on the telephone during fire and rescue service de-ployments. At the same time, we have become faster and more secure due to mainly automated alerting. This results in considerably fewer queries by service personnel deployed.

A database usually consists of thousands of street addresses. How were the master data edited for your purpose?

In secur.CAD, not only must our internal structure be imaged but also the complete address inventory

of the Main-Spessart county for external missions. The secur.CAD master data model was very accom-modating for our external area because, apart from house number depth, all master data were al-ready in place. To map our plant grounds, we complemented the structures below the street seg-ments. This was achieved quickly, without any program adjustments. “Plant”, “Building”, “Room” und “Machine” are only some of the types we recorded in addition and which we have georefe-renced accurate to a meter.

SOLUTIONS

Author: Daniel Feusi · Head of International Sales, Swissphone Telecom AG, Samstagern

One of the duties of the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is the rescue of people on the high seas, the monitoring of ships and the surveillance of the coastal area: With 12,000 kilometres of coastline, this job, and the associated communication, is a challenge. Where wireless service is insufficient, Swissphone repeaters provide good radio reception.

Swissphone repeaters expand MCA wireless network services

The MCA searches and rescues people on the high seas who end up in dangerous situations, moni-tors compliance with British and international safety regulations, and checks ship’s masters and their crews. Furthermore, it polices the coastal area and prevents water pollution. Not an easy field of acti-vity considering that the coast of Britain stretches

some 12,000 kilometres and in part includes topologically very demanding areas. Recently, the MCA has also been operating an automated identification network all around the coast that makes real-time monitoring and tracing the course of shipping movements from the mainland possible.

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Well developed paging network

To manage all these tasks, the MCA requires a large number of personnel and smooth coordination of the latter. The analogue paging network, it operates along the entire coast, has stood the test for the organisation. The network consists of nearly 500 base transmitting stations. Due to the in part chal-lenging topography of the coastal region, stable and reliable wireless service by the base station is, however, not possible everywhere. Therefore, the MCA also uses so-called repeaters to provide service to certain region. These are capable of receiving and editing even weak paging signals, amplifying and eventually sending them on the same frequency.

Seamless integration into the existing network

In collaboration with their sales partner Arqiva, Swissphone has now developed new repeaters. In addition to the basic functions which include sending and receiving on the same frequency, the requirement was to gain independence from the electricity supply; respectively battery backup of ten hours. On the basis of the new ITC2100 plat-form, Swissphone has implemented an analogue repeater specifically designed for MCA, by means

of software adjustments and appropriate additions. Special focus was on the seamless integration into the existing network. In particular, there should be no undesirable mutual interference where the coverage areas of several repeaters overlap. Swissphone has mastered this challenge by means of timing adjustments. The repeaters never trans-mit simultaneously but instead always time-displaced.

Equipped for digital alerting

Due to the modular composition of the software and hardware, the Swissphone repeater can be equipped with additional functions. Thus, the repeaters can for example – if required – be converted to POCSAG operation at a later point in time. This is particularly useful if the MCA would like to switch from analogue to digital alerting in future. The MCA currently sends alerts by using the Swissphone analogue pager RE629 which has prevailed successfully against a variety of com-petitors due to its compact construction, its high reception sensitivity and its very low failure rate.

SOLUTIONS

Author: Gabriela Knobel · Responsable Corporate Communications, Swissphone Telecom AG, Samstagern

From church bell to pager

“Alerting is one of the most important actions for us. If alerting does not work, nobody gets dispatched”, prioritises Hanspeter Schnüriger. He has presided over the fire brigade of the city of St. Gallen for ten years and has been in charge of the civil defence of the city of St. Gallen for twelve years. And during his time in office already, alerting has under-gone huge changes. “Originally, the fire brigade was alerted by the ringing of church bells. And as little as ten, fifteen years ago there were so-called alerters who called their colleagues out for deployment by telephone and by means of the snowball system”, the experienced fire brigade commander explains. This system

was replaced by a cantonal emergency response centre. From then on, alerts were sent through a central telephone system. “If the fireman was having a private telephone conversation, the call was interrupted and the summons was put through”, Hanspeter Schnüriger remembers.

Ready within 70 seconds

Nowadays, the fire brigade professionals of the city of St. Gallen are alerted via pager. The St. Gallen fire brigade is divided into the professional and the civil defence auxiliary fire brigade. The professional fire brigade is on call 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The professional fire brigade is made up of 40 men

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in all. Of these, eleven firefighters report to the fire station every day. They are ready to respond within 70 seconds after receiving the alert. Furthermore, almost 200 auxiliary firemen and 400 civil defence personnel are equipped with pagers. The civil defence personnel take on partial missions such as pumping out basements on the one hand, and on the other hand they help in coping with huge incidents. An alarm comes in via the emer-gency number 118 each time. The cantonal police emergency response centre then activates the alerting. The alert text is broadcast through the loudspeakers in the fire station, run on the indicator board in the vehicle hall and sent to the pagers. In addition, alerting is ensured via land-lines and mobile phones. Alerting via pager also operates redundantly, respectively, via two net-works: on the one hand through the paging network of the building insurance of the St. Gallen canton and one the other hand via the Swissphone network “Euromessage”.

Swissphone pager with feedback channel…

In the near future, the St. Gallen fire service will take an even bigger step forward: “The latest Swiss-phone pager fulfils a big wish”, adds Hanspeter Schnüriger. He means the capability to send a confirmation via the pager. “The possibility of sending a confirmation that was lacking up until now was a problem particularly for the fire services in so-called sleep communities and suburbs because much of the action force there works away from home and is therefore not always and immediately available during the day”, he explains.

“It becomes particularly tight if the specialists who have been alerted cannot participate in the operation. One can only hope that the person required can still come after all, and a sub-stitute is alerted late, possibly too late”, says the city of St. Gallen’s Fire Chief.

…allows efficient alerting

Even with the St. Gallen fire brigade, the motto “large scale mobilisation and rapid reduction” applies. Hanspeter Schnüriger adds: “We have to be on the side of caution and deploy an ap-propriate number of firefighters so that we are sure to have enough personnel for the operation. After all, we did not know in advance how many of the summoned specialists were really going to participate in the mission.” The new Swissphone terminal RES.Q allows fire service specialists to send a confirmation, due to the integration of GSM. Now, the director of operations knows the exact number of specialists who can participate in an operation. “This allows us to rapidly expand the alert if, for example, specialists are unable to participate or if a correspondingly large number of negative confirmations are sent”. Hanspeter Schnüriger also hazards a look into the future: “My wish with respect to future alerting options would be a mobile-pager combination. In other words, I would like to have both rolled into one. But, the specialist is convinced that, “from the pointof view of penetration depth, the pager is clearly the best alerting tool up till now”.

Hanspeter Schnüriger, Head of the Fire Brigade and Civil Protectionof the City of St. Gallen

About the person

62-year-old Hanspeter Schnüriger is a qualified building engineer (ETH) and superintendent of the fire service and the civil defence of the city of St. Gallen. As commander, he has been pre-siding over civil defence for twelve years, and also over the fire services for ten years. Reading and hiking count among his hobbies. He will be able to practise these hobbies more intensely after he retires on 30 June.

100 years professional fire brigade St. Gallen

With a variety of festive occasions and a fire services day with demonstrations and a procession on 20 June, the professional fire brigade of the city of St. Gallen (www.fwzssg.ch) will celebrate their 100-year anniversary in June and August. At the same time, the rescue corps of the city of St. Gallen (www.rettungscorps.ch) will celebrate their 150-year jubilee. Swissphone congratu-lates the jubilarians and sponsors them in their anniversary year.

BACKGROUND

40 years Swissphone With visionary imagination to the forefront of the alerting industry

“When I joined Swissphone, the company had forty employees”, Albert Schumacher reminisces. He took up his position in customer service seven years after the company was founded by Helmut and Erika Köchler. He has been part of the Swissphone

family now for 33 years. “The company used to be more of a family business than it is today”, he elaborates. Everybody used to know everybody else. Today, with about 300 employees, that is a little more difficult of course.

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Helmut Köchler, 1981

The chimney shelf served as a filing cabinet

Today’s five-storey office building in Fälmisstrasse in Samstagern used to be a five-room terraced apartment in Kilchberg. The production facility, which is also located in Samstagern nowadays, used to be in Binz in Zurich. “I used to store my files on the chimney shelf in my flat”, tells Albert Schuma-cher with a smile. Many things were different then: If a good monthly result was achieved, Helmut Köchler used to call all employees together and invite them to a meal. This would be beyond the realm of possibility today.

His heart beats for Swissphone

Almost forty years later, Swissphone has six sub-sidiaries: one in Switzerland, two in Germany, one in Austria and one each in France and in the USA. The Swissphone employee of many years regrets: “I no longer know all of my colleagues”. But he has remained faithful to the company none the less: “Nowadays, it is the individual de-partments that nurture cohesion”, says Albert Schumacher by way of comparison.

His colleague, who joined Swissphone just a few months after him and has also been working in customer service since then, agrees with him and goes on to add: “Helmut Köchler is another rea-son why we have remained faithful to the company. His heart beats for Swissphone”, says Karl Bentele.

The Swissphone building in 1979

“Helmut Köchler’s innovative energy and perse-verance have led Swissphone to success”.

First and last name: Albert SchumacherOccupation: Manager, Customer ServiceYears of service: has been with Swissphone for 33 yearsHobby: Computers

BACKGROUND

Milestones in the history of Swissphone

2009 Foundation of the sixth subsidiary in the USA: Swissphone LLC, Denver, Colorado

2008 Development of RES.Q, the first all-in-one alerting terminal that connects GSM and GPS; certification according to ISO standard 9001:2008

2006 Swissphone underscores its international orientation by opening a sales office in Florida (USA)

2005 Successful installation and implementation of a digital and satellite-based alerting network in Lower Austria

2004 Acquisition of Wesser Informatik GmbH, one of the leading providers of system solutions for routing headquarters: Wesser Informatik GmbH becomes Swissphone Systems GmbH, Stuttgart (Germany).

2003 Acquisition of All Wireless AG in Bern (Switzerland): Swissphone Wireless AG is created.

2002 Certification according to the new ISO standard 9001:2000 (process-oriented); renewal of the accreditation as a testing centre (STS018) according to ISO/IEC 17025; development of the “hurricane voice”, the first digital voice receiver in the world that converts text into speech

1999 Foundation of the subsidiary in Austria: Swissphone Austria GmbH in Vienna

He would do anything to ensure that the company does well – this gives you a warm feeling inside and also a certain amount of security, adds Albert Schumacher.

Pronounced dead 20 years ago

Karl Bentele knows that “he built the company from scratch. With his visionary imagination and his perseverance, he led one product after another to success”, says Albert Schumacher and adds:

“And this even though paging had been marked down as an obsolete technology twenty years ago and Swissphone had been pronounced dead. But every time that the development of a product, or the implementation of one of Helmut Köchler’s ideas, came to a standstill, he sat down with the developers and worked meticulously together with them until they had solved their difficult task. And even during this rather difficult time twenty years ago, he continued to believe in paging and in Swissphone. Just at that time, he invested in his

Past and present pagers

“Helmut Köchler’s heart beats for Swissphone”.

First and last name: Karl BenteleOccupation: Customer Service EmployeeYears of service: has been with Swissphone for 33 yearsHobbies: Travel, sports

Continuation: 40 years Swissphone

Author: Gabriela Knobel · Responsable Corporate Communications, Swissphone Telecom AG, Samstagern

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1994 First private licence received from the Federal Office of Communications for the sector “Internal wireless networks in Switzerland”; foundation of Swissphone Engineering as operator of the Swissphone paging network “Euromessage”; main customer: Gebäude- versicherung Zurich (GVZ) with 15 000 firemen 1992 First accreditation as a testing centre for portable, mobile and fixed transmitter and receiver sites as well as for portable receiving units

1990 Certification according to quality standard ISO 9001

1989 Foundation of the second subsidiary: Swissphone S.A. in Versailles (France)

1984 Start of the development of paging systems

1983 Foundation of the first subsidiary: Swissphone Telecommunications GmbH in Gundelfingen (Germany)

1972 Production is relocated to Binz, Zurich.

1971 Moving into the Kilchberg (Switzerland) premises

1970 Manufacture of the first pager with tuning fork filters; first bulk order of more than 1000 pagers for fire service alerting in Germany

1969 Development and production of selective modules for radio transceivers, foundation of the Swissphone company by the husband-and-wife team Helmut and Erika Köchler based in Kloten (Switzerland)


own paging network and was able to keep an extensive range of products available for sale: pagers and their corresponding network as a service in exchange for buying subscriptions.”

From pager producer to system provider

“And today we have everything you need in modern communication”, Karl Bentele explains and complements: “We continue to produce pagers, have our proprietary paging network and have, in addition, established ourselves in the systems business. This is due to Helmut Köchler’s foresight.”

And what do the two of them wish for Swissphone’s future? “A promising change of generations at the company’s top management level, and to continue with as much innovative energy and dynamism as the company has had up until now”, they both agree.

Helmut Köchler’s son, Michael Köchler, has been managing the newly founded subsidiary Swiss-phone LLC in Denver, Colorado, since 1 January 2009. After setting up the U.S. firm, he will take over operations management of the Swissphone Group.

The previous production plant

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EVENTS

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Edited and published by:Swissphone Telecom AG Corporate Communications

Fälmisstrasse 21CH-8833 Samstagern

Swissphone on the move

Design

D’ART Visuelle Kommunikation GmbHAdlerstrasse 41 D-70199 Stuttgart

[email protected]

Tel.: +41 44 786 77 70 Fax: +41 44 786 77 71

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Agenda 2009

Date Event Location Background information

13th – 15th May RETTmobil Fulda (D) www.rettmobil.org

25th – 29th May Tetra World Congress 2009 Munich (D) www.tetraworldcongress.com

09th – 12th June Suisse Public 2009 Bern (CH) www.suissepublic.ch

s.press 2009/1 en

Documents

swissphone trio

swissphone group

boardthe swissphone

swissphone telecom ag

subsidiary swissphone

years of challenges

solutionsworkplace safety

new pagers