Swift Trade
From their terminals at Swift Trade Inc. in Toronto, about 350 securities traders complete tens of thousands of transactions on four U.S. exchanges each day. Processing all the accounting and regulatory paperwork lasts many hours after the trading floor has emptied.
When questions arise, as they often do, Swift Trade's technical experts are always within reach, wherever they are. "The cell phone is the best way to find the right person and get them to log onto the network," says Swift Trade co-founder and president Peter Beck. Hitches in pre-market preparations also demand instant attention, he adds. "The technical people come in at 7:00 a.m. to start things off," says Beck, the father of two young daughters, ages 3 and 1. "They run into issues and I get the call at 7:10 on my wireless phone."
Balancing the demands of a complex business and a young family is never easy, but Beck says his cell phone is both a firewall and a lifeline for his home life. "I don't give out my home number, only my cell number," he says. "I like to keep business away from my personal life." But when the need for instant contact arises, he can always be reached.
Beck says he chooses Rogers Wireless for its wide coverage and high call quality. The Rogers Wireless GSM/GPRS network is Canada's largest integrated wireless voice and data network, reaching 93% of the population. With roaming agreements in 125 countries and growing Rogers Wireless customers can easily take their phones with them while travelling internationally.
Next year, Beck is planning to expand Swift Trade onto other exchanges and open 17 new trading floors around the world. Needless to say, he'll be taking his Rogers cell phone on his travels. "It's the best way to stay in touch wherever I am."
Rogers Wireless continuously invests in its network quality to extend and improve its reach, for example, completing a national roll out of GSM/GPRS coverage at 850 MHz in December 2003 for better rural and in-building coverage.
