Here and there

Canadians rely on their mobile phones for safety and security, but many are unaware of the actual reach of their emergency coverage, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found.

The online survey of a representative national sample of 1,003 adult mobile phone users also found that respondents almost universally believe that specific services related to emergency coverage are imperative to keeping them safe and secure wherever they are.

“Access to emergency and 9-1-1 services by telephone is of utmost importance to Canadians.

Canadians cite safety and security (71%) as the main consideration for their decision to carry a mobile phone, followed by being able to always stay in touch with friends and/or family (52%), being able to stay in touch with work (19%) and cost effectiveness compared to a land-line (9%).

Despite the fact that Canadians cite safety and security as a reason for carrying a mobile phone, very large proportions of respondents are unaware of specific services. At least one-third of respondents enrolled in a pre-paid plan (36%) do not know if the emergency 9-1-1 location services operate from their devices and two-in-five respondents do not know if emergency personnel can locate them accurately and dispatch help quickly when they dial 9-1-1 (43%), or whether emergency 9-1-1 location services for a mobile phone operate the same all over the country (45%).

While respondents may not be fully aware of what their current mobile plan is all about, they clearly agree that emergency 9-1-1 services are vital. More than 90 per cent of Canadian mobile phone users believe accurate location, extended coverage outside of their hometown, access to 9-1-1 from a pre-paid phone, and compliance with minimum location accuracy standards is very or moderately important.

About one-in-four respondents (23%) have called 9-1-1 from a mobile phone in Canada. Of these Canadians, 90 per cent report being very or moderately satisfied with their experience, while nine per cent claim to be very or moderately dissatisfied.

Two Western provinces are home to a bigger pocket of 9-1-1 dialers who are disappointed with their experience. In British Columbia, 16 per cent of respondents are dissatisfied, while the number climbs to 25 per cent in Alberta.
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While the majority (72%) of Canadians planning to travel in the next six months hold a passport (68% a Canadian passport, 4% a foreign passport), new regulations regarding entry in to the United States are not spurring those without a passport (28%) into action. Among those who do not hold a passport, over six-in-ten (62%) say the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is not impacting their decision to apply for a passport. These are just some of the findings from a joint Ipsos Reid/Tourism Industry Association of Canada survey with adult Canadian residents who plan to travel in the next six months.

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Rackforce has opened the first phase of its new GigaCenter in Kelowna, British Columbia, which combines Cisco’s Data Center 3.0 equipment and many of IBM’s “Big Green” data center technologies. The facility is powered by hydro electricity and offers a cold-aisle containment system that Rackforce says can support rack power densities of up to 35 kilowatts per rack.

Location is a key differentiator for the new facility, according to Rackforce executives.

“We built the GigaCenter here in Kelowna because it’s one of the most stable and eco-friendly areas in North America,” said Tim Dufour, president and CEO of RackForce. “The highly advanced network and scalable infrastructure supports our customer’s most demanding computing needs, today and in the future, while contributing to their corporate environmental goals.”

“The GigaCenter is a clear example of how Canadian companies continue to innovate and find new ways to improve global business practices, while reducing our impact on the environment,” said John Ostrander, Vice-President of IBM Global Services, which worked closely with Rackforce on the project.

While IBM and Rackforce haven’t provided details on their collaboration, the GigaVault resembles the Enterprise Modular Data Center approach to standardized modular data center design that IBM announced in June 2008.

Rackforce has three data centers in Kelowna at present, and has seen strong growth with its focus on virtualized hosting services.