Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/722832
Wireless World 2 5 Friday, September 9, 2016 THE ACH NETWORK – AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE FUTURE OF PAYMENTS An interview with Janet O. Estep, President and Chief Executive Officer of NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association. WW: Tell our readers about NACHA and the role it plays in the payments industry. JE: NACHA is a not-for-profit organiza- tion that brings together payments industry stakeholders to create payment rules and standards to help the industry move for- ward. As the rulemaking body for the ACH Network, NACHA receives input and ideas from more than 10,000 financial institutions and many Network partici- pants from across the U.S. Together, we make billions of transactions safe and secure every year and continually pursue new ways to connect people and payments. WW: How does the ACH Network con- nect people and payments? JE: Today, the ACH Network processes 24 billion transactions annually totaling more than $41 trillion. Consumers use the ACH Network to efficiently move funds in and out of their bank accounts. For example, they use the ACH Network for bill payments – to the tune of 800 mil- lion per month. They also use the Network for mobile/online payments and person-to-person payments. These trans- actions serve as one of the Network's fastest growing transaction types. Additionally, the ACH Network serves as the system through which Direct Deposits are processed. More than 80 percent of employees now use Direct Deposit to receive their pay. WW: What does the future hold for the ACH Network? JE: The ACH Network continual- ly evolves to adapt to an ever changing environment and ensure we are meeting the needs of con- sumers. One of our recent efforts to meet the demand for "faster payments" was the development of Same Day ACH. So in addition to the Network's ability to process transactions next-day, the Network can now process transactions the same day as well. This faster payments capability provides new opportunities for the industry and for consumers. It really serves as a building block to the future of faster payments. WW: How will Same Day ACH impact your average consumer? JE: There are many ways that Same Day ACH could impact consumers, but the easiest scenario to use to demonstrate its impact is with bill payment. Same Day ACH will provide consumers with the opportunity to pay for a bill on the day it is due, which could eliminate a disrup- tion or cancellation of service, a late fee or other inconvenience. WW: What about the businesses receiving Same Day ACH pay- ments from consumers? How does this benefit them? JE: For businesses, Same Day ACH allows them to provide choice and con- venience to their customers, and better customer service. And it provides the added benefit of cost savings and efficien- cies to their business. Already businesses are planning to use Same Day ACH to provide better customer service. Insurance companies can use Same Day ACH to deliver funds for an insurance claim on the day when the claim is satisfied, or govern- ments could rapidly deliver benefits in a disaster situation. Businesses, govern- ments and consumers alike will all benefit from Same Day ACH. For more information about NACHA, the ACH Network and ACH payments, stop by booth #3045 or visit www.nacha.org or www.electronicpayments.org. EMFIT ANNOUNCES ALL NIGHT LONG HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASUREMENT Emfit has announced adding full-night heart rate variability measurement to the Emfit QS Sleep Monitor. Tracking heart rate variability throughout the whole night gives one a detailed picture of the progression of the recovery during the night. Evening RMSSD value tells about accumulated stress over the day, and morning RMSSD indicates recovery status and readiness for a new day. RMSSD data allows one to optimize training schedules according to actual body requirements, avoid over- training and to be at peak performance, which is why this new feature is espe- cially beneficial for athletes. Long-term evaluation of HRV indicates how effec- tively exercise or lifestyle changes are affecting one's lifestyle. Emfit QS is a contact-free sensor installed beneath the mattress using small electronics with Wi-Fi. A web-based application that is also optimized for use with smartphones provides comprehen- sive reports about physical recovery, stress levels and sleep quality. Emfit QS records total amount of sleep, percent- ages of recuperating REM and DEEP sleep, heart rate, respiration rate and activity during the entire night. Emfit Chief Technology Officer Timo Aittokoski, who is behind all algorithms of Emfit QS, talks about the full-night HRV: "This new feature is simply amazing. In contrast to the normal way to measure HRV, which is one short- time measurement in the morning, Emfit QS gives much more insight into recovery; we measure it in three- minute windows throughout the whole night, getting a total of 100-200 meas- urements in a night. This way we get insight into what is really going on in the body, and we can see the progres- sion of recovery. Getting this kind of deep information of readiness for the day and exercise is impossible in a one- time, just a couple minutes long meas- urement. With our all-night HRV meas- urement, results are much more statisti- cally credible." About Emfit Ltd. Emfit is a global leader in quasi-piezoelectric ferroelectret sensors and actuators. Since 1990, Finnish company Emfit has pio- neered the development and manufac- ture of these electro active polymers. Emfit also develops and manufactures whole products with a focus in health tech. Today, Emfit is a leading manu- facturer of ferroelectret sensor and actuator material for various applica- tions, including paper machinery, sports equipment, music instruments, touch-sensitive human interfaces, smart building solutions and more. For more information, visit www.emfit.com. Expect Robust Enterprise Class Solutions and Lower Cost of Ownership DAS technology is moving towards easier, smaller and more powerful solutions. The in-build- ing industry will continue to converge functionality that lowers cost for the Middleprise, while addressing require- ments of carriers and building owners. SOLiD is on the frontline and is con- tinually updating its solution to meet the demands of the Middleprise. It is launch- ing at CTIA 2016 a new head end solu- tion for its ALLIANCE DAS platform that continues to lower TCO and increase the ease-of-use with an impressive list of new features and functionality. SOLiD and the Middleprise market are in full acceleration to meet forecasted demand. Stay tuned. The end goal: innova- tive, enterprise-easy technology that meets the high standards of the carrier at a price point that allows for financial via- bility in the Middleprise, alleviating the pain for all. For more information, visit www.solid.com or stop by booth #PMR308. UNLOCKING THE MIDDLEPRISE By Scott Gregory, Director of Marketing, SOLiD Last year, SOLiD introduced a new term to the DAS wireless industry: the Middleprise, the segment of the in- building wireless market that includes all types of enterprise buildings and properties from roughly 100,000 to 500,000 square feet. Almost immediate- ly, discussion of the Middleprise took off, reflecting the growing but stalled demand for in-building cellular connec- tivity and capacity in this market seg- ment. This week the industry comes together at CTIA to discuss innovations that drive the ever-increasing demand for wireless communication, while largely unaware of the Middleprise. Only two percent of the $19 billion Middleprise market is served by in-building cellular technology. It's a significant but over- looked market opportunity. While carriers actively fund in- building wireless for stadiums, arenas, subways, airports and convention ven- ues, their investment choices exclude the vast majority of the Middleprise. Meanwhile, building owners, their ten- ants and the in-building ecosystem of OEMs, VAR, Integrators and Neutral Hosts are searching for new, sustainable business models. New models are inevitable, and three things must happen to unlock the Middleprise opportunity. Feel the Pain Our mobile lifestyle ratchets up the demand for wireless every day. When wireless connectivity is unreliable and subscribers are unhappy, the building owner too feels the pain of high vacancy rates, lower lease revenue and reduced market relevance. The Middleprise ten- ant faces lost workplace productivity, a poor customer experience and potential safety issues. Carriers feel the pain as lucrative corporate plan subscribers may churn more quickly. Do you see the pain? In time, these frustrations will prompt wider interest and action in in-building wireless. Rethink Roles and Business Models Carriers, Middleprise build- ing owners, 3POs and ven- dors are rethinking their roles and their business. Carriers continue to evolve the macro network, with a desire to pushing their signal source closer to the end user, both indoors and outdoors. Building owners are beginning to recognize the impact poor cellular serv- ice has on a property's marketability and the safety of their tenants. They are beginning to take responsibility for in- building wireless, but today's market is not exactly easy to engage. Neutral hosts or third party opera- tors are also motivated to develop new revenue channels beyond their legacy business and no doubt will partner with dark fiber providers and carriers to monetize signal source availability for in-building and dense urban applica- tions. New players will likely appear, bringing all the stakeholders to the table as well as creative funding and coop models. Each will need to evolve as new models are developed and implemented.