Ep 149: Converting phone booths to parcel lockers; UPS delivery drones

Apr 1, 2019

Mario Mayerthaler, Head of A1 Innovation at Austrian telecom operator A1, joins me to talk about the A1 Paket Station project converting phone booths into parcel lockers. We cover:

• How A1 developed the concept
• The size and potential spread of the network
• Other sites that can host parcel lockers
• Obligations to maintain a phone booth network
• Co-operating with local stores for parcel locker access
• Working with online marketplace Shpock
• How a member of the public can directly lodge items in the lockers
• Early feedback on the A1 Paket Stationen
• Infrastructure demands of parcel lockers
• Partnership with Austrian Post and the possibility of being a carrier-neutral parcel locker network

Then I discuss UPS’s latest attempt to make drone delivery work:

• Comparisons with Swiss Post’s lab sample drone delivery service
• UPS’s continuing push into healthcare and pharmaceutical logistics
• Competition from FedEx and others - and the need to innovate