While computers are slimming down, pagers are beefing up. No longer just for receiving messages, the latest alphanumeric pagers can receive and display as many as 500 characters in a single message, enough to spell out a list of pickups or revised delivery instructions. That means addresses, purchase order numbers, and other information will appear as typed, not as interpreted by an operator over the phone.

The latest alphanumeric pagers allow two-way communication. Unlike old-fashioned beepers, this new generation of pager products can transmit written messages as long as those they receive. That allows, say, dispatchers to type messages to drivers and drivers to type responses. With just seconds between the time a message is sent and its receipt, the resulting system resembles a miniature version of Qualcomm’s OmniTRACS, trucking’s leading satellite communications system.

There are important differences. Paging networks are ground-based and can’t match satellite coverage, particularly in remote areas. Even in major cities, the level of two-way pager communication depends on the proximity of broadcast towers. And two-way communication isn’t available everywhere in Canada.

Even with those limitations, paging service providers claim pager reception is superior in congested urban areas where ground-based radio works better than line-of-sight satellite communications.

Indeed, some carriers augment satellite communications with pager-style services. Some pager systems even allow written messages to be delivered to standard telephones-after being routed through a voice synthesizer. That’s right: pagers are beginning to talk.