Mark Bridge writes:

You could probably describe Burnside Telecom as the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer. No, not production volumes - but the physical size of its products.

This UK-based designer and manufacturer produces a variety of mobile devices, from office-style ‘desktop mobile phones’ to the type of rugged outdoor telephone used at railway crossings.

“I guess the strapline for our business today is we provide landline alternatives”, managing director Colin Aitken told me. “The company’s ten years old this year. The founders - David Robson, Nigel Slater - are two very experienced engineers. Their vision for the business ten years ago was really to look at some new markets where mobile was starting to become an option. It led them through a series of product developments to where we are today in delivering fixed mobile phones and fixed cellular terminals.”

Those products are now available in a broad range of industry sectors, Colin explained.

“We have products that are installed in large retail organisations to replace landline solutions. We have products sold into emergency companies where they need to have tough fixed phones installed in places they can’t lead landlines - and a series of new products targeted to the telecare market, where you’ve got a lot of elderly residents that would love to have a telephone in their home but unfortunately the expense of leading a landline to it is often prohibitive.”

As well as providing mobile phones that connect to conventional mobile phone networks, Colin revealed the company’s products are increasingly being used on private mobile networks. These offer all the advantages of a traditional PBX system but without the need for cabling, making them perfect for large sites and for organisations that want to avoid disrupting their operations.