An in-depth interview with Sprint Nextel and the future of GPS telephony

Nextel's a very interesting firm, especially now that it's merged with Sprint. I recently had the opportunity to interview Rob Consolazio, a senior executive at the firm, about business applications of mobile GPS telephony. You'll notice that most of the company references in this interview refer to Nextel, rather than Sprint Nextel. That's because the interview took place just before the firm's name changed to Sprint Nextel.

Please introduce yourself and help us understand your background. Tell us anything you think our readers might find interesting about you.

As the senior director of Business Solutions at Nextel, I'm responsible for product management and marketing for all of Nextel's business and GPS application product lines. This includes four key areas.

First, Location Based Solutions, which consists of GPS-enabled applications for both Nextel handsets and Blackberry handhelds that allow businesses and individuals to better manage mobile resources. It also includes solutions for voice based navigation services on Nextel devices.

Second is Field Force Enablement Solutions. This encompasses field service automation, wireless credit card payment, barcode scanning and Supply Chain & Delivery applications.

The third area is Mobile CRM, including mobile middleware applications for sales force automation packages such as Salesforce.com, Siebel, SalesLogix, ACT! and many others.

And fourth is Industry Specific Solutions. These mobile applications provide unique disaster recovery and business continuity options for the Financial Services, Real Estate, Construction and Manufacturing verticals.

While I've been working within the Nextel environment since 2001, I still rely on my diverse career experiences to explore and implement new programs. This includes my tenure as the Director of Telecommunications & Utilities, for Scient Inc., (a leading professional services firm that focuses on Internet strategy development and technology integration for global telecommunications and utility companies), as well as several product management, marketing and consulting positions at companies like GTE Wireless (now Verizon), General Instrument (now Motorola) and Ernst & Young's Telecommunications Group.

I'm also proud to be a former "Navy guy," having spent five years as an officer, and satisfying demanding positions, including Ordnance and Communications Officer on board the USS Antrim, a guided missile frigate based in Mayport, Florida.