Pope Francis descended upon the nation’s capital this week bringing with him a calm not always found in Washington. While heightened security precautions prevented our D.C. team from making it to the office, we still had a full week of work thanks to internet access, mobile devices, and apps.
Before doing anything, I used WHA (i.e. “Work Hard Anywhere”) to find the best place to work within walking distance of my apartment. Using crowd-sourced information, I browsed a map of my neighborhood for the most ideal workspace based on WiFi specs, outlet availability, seating, price, and of course, food. Within a few minutes, I found a café that WHA users reported to have fast internet – the most critical factor for me.
Once I staked out a corner table, I checked my Ookla Speedtest app to ensure my wireless connection was strong enough to support the video stream of the pontiff’s trip through the city along with all the other apps I needed. With a good internet connection and an arsenal of mobile tools, my 9-5 proceeded sans hindrance.
Thanks to the new iOS 9 – already downloaded on more than 50 percent of Apple’s mobile devices – I split my iPad screen and was able to watch the pope-mobile roll through the city while staying on top of email throughout the workday.
I then opened up the Microsoft Office suite of apps on my laptop – Word is my go-to for drafting and editing pieces. As I finished a blog post or internal document, I uploaded it to the appropriate channel or private message on Slack for feedback. Our team constantly used (and, admittedly, is always using) the collaboration app to stay in touch and keep projects moving forward through the papal visit.
I also used cloud storage apps like Dropbox and Instapaper to share and access files from all my devices. Shared folders on Dropbox allowed me to check out the most recent version of a document and make updates accordingly. Instapaper became my mobile trove of news articles, reports, and PDFs separated by topical folders. As I found relevant pieces throughout the day, I’d highlight and store them for others to see in a few quick clicks.
Once a final product was ready for the website, I used the WordPress app to upload content. Before posting it, I’d shoot a preview link to the rest of the communications team to make sure everything looked a-okay. Annnnd then – voila! – from a café table in northwest DC to device screens around D.C. and onto the publicly accessible web.
Of course, none of this would be possible without strong wireless internet. Mobile broadband infrastructure allows employees – especially those at companies that don’t have brick-and-mortar office space – to work from anywhere.
The Pope’s visit made us grateful for the prevalence of WiFi in D.C., but there are still many places in the U.S. where the demand for mobile internet is not well met. As apps and mobile devices are helping foster teamwork and change work cultures for the better, the continued build-out of wireless spectrum is critical. App makers and the millions of consumers that rely on them require access to high-speed services to continue working, creating, and innovating.