Following in the footsteps of commercial package delivery companies such as FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc., Sweden Post plans to deploy wireless handheld devices for use by its delivery workers by next summer.

The new technology, including the handhelds and server software that's being developed internally, will replace a mainly paper-based package-tracking system, said John Viirman, project leader at Stockholm-based Sweden Post, the country's national post office. The automated system is expected to increase efficiency and will also allow customers to track packages online, Viirman said.

When the system becomes fully operational, customers will be able to check the Sweden Post Web site to find out when packages were loaded onto trucks and what the schedule is for delivering them. Currently, senders and recipients must call a customer service center to get that data. "That costs us a lot of money," Viirman said.

In the future, the post office may also upload recipients' signatures so senders can check the Web site to see who accepted their packages, he said.

The handhelds are being supplied by Intermec Technologies Corp. in Everett, Wash. Sweden Post is developing the software itself except for the security mechanisms, which are being provided by Columbitech AB in Stockholm. Viirman's team is using Microsoft Corp.'s .Net technology as well as Java on the server side.