UPU gears up for large RFID pilot
A test involving the postal systems in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates demonstrated RFID’s suitability for measuring the performance of mail delivery services.
Read MoreTag: Qatar Post
Regional postal heads review progress of inter-GCC express mail service 'Gulf Express'
Postal heads from Arab countries meeting in Qatar for the 21st postal high committee meeting gave the green signal for the implementation of Gulf Express, an improved express mail service for GCC countries.
The officials, who included under-secretaries of postal ministries and directors-general of posts, reviewed the business plan submitted by the Riyadh-based newly appointed manager of the project and asked for an operational plan.
The meeting also decided that the Gulf countries will henceforth take part in international stamp exhibitions under the name of the ‘GCC Countries Group’, in an effort to promote Arab solidarity and philatelic excellence.
Among the other topics was a review of the proposed pan-GCC logistics company owned by GCC postal organizations.
Read MoreQatar post pilots Motorola's RFID solution to measure the quality of postal services
RFID technology was evaluated by Qatar Post as part of a wider initiative to measure the quality of postal services throughout the Middle East. Motorola radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and other technology suppliers, were part of the trial in a joint project with Emirates Post and Saudi Post.
Qatar Post, which is member of UPU Quality of Service Project Group Steering Committee, recently concluded a successful trial in the Arab region (22 Countries) during which it deployed and tested both passive and semi-active RFID systems. The project was initiated to evaluate various RFID technologies as a way to measure the postal quality across the three countries. This unique trial could pave the way for the use of cost-effective RFID technologies to track mail around the world.
Motorola XR480 fixed RFID readers were installed along with other antennas in mail processing centers across Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to track anonymous test envelopes containing RFID tags. This created a simulated environment of how mail moves through the postal system and help authorities better understand the time and route that mail takes on its journey from collection to delivery.
This trial will allow and help Qatar Post to make both short-term and long-term decisions about its future business. On a day-to-day basis, Qatar Post will be able to identify delays in the delivery process and make adjustments accordingly. On a long-term basis, it can evaluate the average route of a letter and assess whether it is following the most efficient course, altering routing accordingly. It also allows Qatar Post to see where any potential errors in its delivery processes might occur, so that these can be corrected before they impact customers or incur extra charges.
This unique trial also could ultimately lead to the adoption of RFID by postal companies around the world, providing them with a measurement matrix for international deliveries as post moves from one national carrier to another. This trial will not only be important for the Arab region but will help the remaining countries` members to prove the success of RFID as a method to monitor post, reduce costs and provide better services for customers.
Read MoreQ-Post to tie up with firms in tele-money order system
The General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) is to introduce a tele-money order system “which will be more economical and easier to the consumer than the prevailing services in the market”.
George Scott-Campbell, director of IT Services at Q-Post, told Gulf Times that the system, when introduced, would make sending money home very easy and time-saving for people.
The service is likely to be introduced in the “third quarter of the year”.
Q-Post will tie up with companies whose employees can place a standing request with their HR department to remit money regularly. “Q-Post will provide the necessary software to the companies which subscribe to the system”.
The system could be run from the offices of all subscribers.
Once instructed, the HR department could remit a certain amount of money to home, banks or wherever one wanted, the official said. One could also make a one-off transfer through the HR department, he added.
The money would be electronically transferred to the nearest post office or branch of the bank of the recipient. Whether it would be delivered to the door-step would depend on the services offered by the local post office, the official said.
Scott-Campbell stressed that the service would have several advantages over the existing services. For one, it would save a lot of time of the employees who otherwise would have to go and stand in queues at exchange houses or banks. Currently, it often takes two hours or more for a person to remit money.
Read MoreSMS-based service soon to ensure mail delivery
A new SMS-based, 24X7 modern postal service is likely to be introduced in Qatar by next year.
George Scott-Campbell, director of IT Services at General Postal Corporation (Q-Post), told Gulf Times that the service, Q-Post24, would end the problem of people not getting mail sent to their office P O Box address.
Subscribers to the service would be notified through a text message when a mail or parcel reached the post office, he said.
The service would have outdoor lockers at supermarkets, petrol stations and similar places. Q-Post had already sold advertising space on the giant boxes.
The boxes can be accessed by an electronic card. The parcel will have a PIN number, which will be sent through SMS.
Using the card and the PIN, the locker bins can be opened and the parcel collected.
Scott-Campbell said a Gulf company wanted to supply the hardware for the service, which was originally developed in Britain as a business-to-business service known as .
According to the manufacturers, ParcelExchange is a cost-effective and sustainable solution for the ‘last mile’ in the delivery process.
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