How 5G turbocharged a Manchester-based business

Malachy Lynn, Managing Director of 3RiO, tells The Telegraph how upgrading to fast 5G-powered technology has radically changed the way the company works, saving months of time spent on the road and processing video.

Facilities management specialist 3RiO offers services including traffic management, security staff and hygiene, working across sectors including construction and education. 

The employees of 3RiO wear body cameras which record footage while directing traffic, for example, so being able to access that video is essential in the case of an incident. 

Each bodycam previously used physical storage, and would be collected so footage could be downloaded from an SD card. With employees working at sites far from the company’s base in Greater Manchester, the process of bringing back and reviewing footage could sometimes take several days, says Managing Director Malachy Lynn.

“Video footage of incidents is a very important part of what we deliver,” says Mr Lynn, “Obviously the safety elements of anything that we deal with on site are paramount. We sat and thought about the card-based process, and how much manpower was actually involved in it. We believed that the 5G upgrade would allow us to free an immense amount of time."

Thanks to the speed of 5G, video can now be reviewed and sent to the 3RiO clients in minutes.

“In some cases, we have done it literally within seconds,” Mr Lynn says. “It’s just amazing. We are working more safely because we have an immediate review of the location and of best practice,” he says. “Our clients are happier because they get a response in real time. That didn’t happen before and our employees save hours on the road. It’s great.”

Mr Lynn says that the change has been so drastic that site managers use the 5G technology as part of their sales process, showing potential clients how quickly the company can respond to problems. 

“We show people how quickly they can glean that information. It’s information that a lot of companies take a long time to deliver,” says Mr Lynn. “It’s definitely a unique and saleable process.”

For the company, switching to SIM-based tech has freed up the equivalent of two staff members, and freed individual employees from those long drives to deliver SD cards for review. 

“We are still in the process of measuring how much time it’s saved, but it’s genuinely months.” says Mr Lynn. 

Three Business supported 3RiO as they upgraded their package to cater for a surge in client demand. 

“Three issued us an account manager,” says Mr Lynn. “Very quickly, our demand surged just from word of mouth. It went from one client wanting it, to two clients, three clients. We had to deliver it very quickly. Our account manager went out of his way to ensure we had the speed we needed. I was amazed at how quickly they got everything live.”

The company is now using its fast connections to modernise other aspects of the business, such as assisting more agile working on shifts away from the office. 

“With all our data, we’re now using the SIMs in tablets, so that the staff have 24-hour email,” says Mr Lynn. “It’s one of the most dramatic changes since I’ve been in the business.”

This is a shortened version of an article produced by and published on Telegraph.co.uk – read the full article here.