The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of replacing private, in-building solutions, such as Digital European Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) phone systems, with the new opportunities offered by low powered GSM solutions, such as Private Mobile Office (PMO), that centre around the utilisation of existing 2G mobile handsets.

Today, the communications industry is moving broadly towards Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and the wider scope for PMO solutions ismanifold. In this paper we will, however, focus on one distinct operational scenario; the ‘island’ environment. This can be defined as an environment that requires an effective communication system for calls between staff, whilst being geographically or logistically remote from any ‘head office’ or corporate communications infrastructure. Examples could include temporary construction sites, warehouses, multi-site showrooms and even actual offshore land masses themselves.

The paper will outline customer requirements and investigate how PMO can address these concerns, both as a solution in its own right and also with direct comparison to incumbent DECT communication systems.