More Control, Better Insights, Less Hassle: How Organizations Can Gain a Competitive Advantage With the P.180 Connectivity Platform

Panasonic Mobility has built its reputation on listening to the demands and needs of customers – and what we’ve heard in recent months and years is that connectivity needs are evolving. An ever growing number of organizations are looking for a one-stop hardware and wireless solution that keeps their mobile workforces connected across global borders and puts them in control of their data plans and activations.

Panasonic recently unveiled a seamless global connectivity service for Toughbook products called P.180. Designed for organizations with global, mobile workforces, this service offers seamless, high-speed connectivity across more than 180 countries with predictable pricing and no roaming fees.  This new service delivers a competitive advantage to organizations of all size, with a scalable solution that grants unparalleled control over wireless connectivity and is conveniently available as part of a “one-stop shop” with Panasonic Toughbook hardware.

P.180 marks the next chapter in the Panasonic Toughbook® story –continuing our legacy of redefining rugged mobility and equipping today’s evolving and dynamic mobile workforce.

To learn more about what Toughbook customers can expect from P.180, I sat down with Victoria Obenshain, vice president of wireless strategy.

What can customers expect from P.180 versus service from traditional wireless carriers?

Seamless, Global Connectivity: Traditionally, organizations with a global footprint have needed to juggle multiple contracts and relationships within each region to ensure connectivity. Employees travelling abroad were forced to rack up pricey, unpredictable roaming fees to stay online and juggle with switching SIM cards. With P.180, customers get true global, seamless connectivity – with the ability to add service in countries with a click of the mouse using our robust management portal.

Unparalleled Control and Insights:Similarly, through the management portal, P.180 customers have full control of their data usage and an ability to tailor their plan to their immediate needs. This means no time wasted working through a carrier to get employees and teams up and running quickly. The management portal also delivers deep analytics and insights into how workers are staying connected and using their devices, allowing customers to identify technology and connectivity challenges and solve them directly.  

Competitive, Predictable Pricing:Being able to personalize the plan to the needs of each individual organization really is the heart of the P.180 service. In addition to being able to easily add service options through the management portal.   A Panasonic P.180 pricing specialist will work with you and analyze the needs of your workforce to create the most cost effective P.180 plan for your needs.

Traditionally, Panasonic has been seen as a hardware provider – why did the company decide that launching a connectivity service was the right move?

Two big factors made us feel like this was the right move for our customers and the right move for Panasonic.

1. Evolving To Meet Customer Needs: We’ve built our name on responding to the ever changing nature of our customers’ work demands. With an increasing number of mobile workers spread out across geographies – especially in the transportation and logistics sectors – we knew that meeting their evolving connectivity needs was the logical next step in better equipping our customers to get work done. More and more we heard from our customers that they needed seamless and secure global connectivity to keep up with the direction their industries were headed. With P.180, we’re responding to that demand by delivering a unique service offering that offers them a competitive edge.

2. Two Decades of Wireless Innovation:Panasonic was the first OEM to embed wireless connectivity in rugged mobile devices and ever since has been a leader in wireless innovations. Our R&D teams are consistently leading the way in outfitting our hardware with the latest connectivity technologies. When we began our Toughbook series over twenty years ago, we foresaw just how important mobile connectivity would be for the future of work. This is why we were the first company to embed wireless connectivity into rugged mobile devices and it’s why we’re now leading the way with a reimagining of what connectivity service can offer in P.180.

How will customers benefit from P.180 being added to the Panasonic Toughbook ecosystem?

For years, our customers have looked to Panasonic to offer right-sized solutions for their technology challenges. And, in 2017, one of those challenges is finding a streamlined but robust connectivity offering. At its heart, P.180 offers convenience – a one-stop shop for all of your connectivity needs, no matter the size of your organization. Paired with trusted hardware, P.180 simplifies buying decisions and makes it easier than ever to get a global, mobile workforce up and running. Our customers know us for our unparalleled service, and with P.180, each customer gets a partner who understands their needs intuitively and is able to offer rapid, customized solutions to help overcome the challenges they face. Beyond that, P.180 offers fast connectivity worldwide that can be set up directly from any supported Toughbook device quickly and easily.

Beyond keepings workers connected, what other benefits does P.180 deliver to Panasonic customers?

When we designed P.180, we wanted to put as much control in the hands of our users as possible. We know that workforces and their needs change, and our customers don’t want to go through a middleman when they need to add or remove someone from a network, change permissions or add features.

To solve that problem, P.180 includes a customized Management Portal that ensures that customers are in control of their P.180 experience. This robust portal allows them to manage access to the network in fine detail but also delivers deep analytics and insights into how workers are staying connected and using their devices, allowing customers to identify technology and connectivity challenges and solve them directly.

The Panasonic P.180 launches in the fourth quarter of 2017. Visit us online for more information on how your organization can get work done with Panasonic P.180.