Mission-Critical IoT Connectivity for Telematics

The last several years – beginning with the pandemic and onward – have shown the critical need for digitization in assets, logistics, and fleet – or telematics, as an umbrella term. The supply chain showed its inability to bend during surges in demand, causing months and months of shortages. 

Online purchasing, already trending significantly upward, surged during the pandemic – an increase of nearly 800 percent between 2010 and 2020 –  leading the transportation industry to scramble to sharpen efficiency and scale upwards rapidly.  

Rising costs coupled with inflation have led organizations to turn to digital solutions to cap costs and boost profitability through optimization. It’s no wonder that IoT in telematics is predicted to be worth $114.7 billion by 2032. 

Supporting the IoT Telematics Industry

Connecting “things” that move by air, rail, and road poses several challenges, much of which comes down to the connectivity supporting the communication between these “things” and the people managing them. Simply turning on a device and having it connect is the goal, but on the backend side of that is ensuring that these devices can connect, that they are connecting to the best possible network, and that this can be achieved on a global scale with minimal management and hassle for the organization deploying these solutions. 

Coverage on a global scale is difficult. There is not a single Mobile Network Operator (MNO) that delivers connectivity globally. Instead, OEMs, IoT Service Providers or Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) have to acquire connectivity in a piecemeal approach and leverage SIMs that roam on to networks in other regions or countries, which can impact performance. With so many critical applications of telematics, this is not entirely viable. 

Telematics Industry Going Digital 

The telematics industry as a whole concerns the movement of goods not just in a multimodal sense but also internationally, which creates challenges in visibility that can then impact the bottom line. Within the telematics industry are the following sectors: 

Cold Chain and Supply Chain 

Time is of the essence when it comes to cold chain management, from fresh fruits and vegetables and other goods to vaccines and medications in pharma manufacturing and distribution. Regulations dictate that you’re on top of temperature, humidity, impact, location, and more, and the results could be catastrophic if gaps in the supply chain go unnoticed. 

The challenge: Connectivity and visibility to meet regional compliance, health and safety laws, theft prevention, asset recovery, and a need to reduce operational costs.

The solution: Macro-level tracking, where devices wake up to check in – reducing the impact on battery. Full lifecycle management from a single console with Over-the-air (OTA) management and control, alerts, reporting, and troubleshooting.

Location and Route Management 

Improve decision-making and predict patterns in driver behavior, identifying imminent breakdowns in vehicles in a preventive way for fleet management or last-mile logistics, for example, or planning inspections and maintenance ahead of time where it causes the least disruption to service. GPS tracking and geo-fencing techniques can be used to stay on top of shipments anywhere in the world and make smart adaptations on the fly because of traffic or weather. 

The challenge: Last-mile operations, consumer demand, and regulatory needs such as low emissions make visibility and control a priority for today’s fleets. However, as they move across the country – this is a tough task. 

The solution: A Smart, multi-network SIM solution that allows the SIM to drive connections to multiple networks. This is crucial for continuous real-time monitoring of fleet locations to help optimize routes, monitor driver behavior, and much more.  

Inventory Tracking & Warehousing 

IoT in logistics has opened the door for Just in Time warehousing and inventory management, ensuring that businesses have transparency into supply and demand in the most cost-effective way while supporting customers with their needs. A smart warehousing system can be managed by IoT, ensuring safe and secure storage, accurately monitoring conditions with less reliance on manual handling, and efficiently finding the items the business needs in real time. 

The challenge: Enabling efficient palette tracking with global NB-IoT/CAT-M coverage, “permanent roaming safe,” offering low latency and efficient data communication. 

The solution: A single-use disposable label comprising an NB-IoT/CAT-M modem, GPS, peripheral sensors and battery. This dictated a new billing option – a one-time fee for device/service/connectivity all in one.

Automotive

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technologies are growing in demand as video is becoming a popular tool in automotive safety solutions. Integrating cameras into safety solutions is a growing means for safer driving not only on the consumer side, but also in commercial fleets. Cameras outside of the vehicle are common in both sectors, but in commercial fleets, cameras inside of the cabin are being leveraged more and more for unsafe driving behavior detection.

The Challenge: The real-time data demands of automotive safety solutions require resilient connectivity with greater bandwidth and lower latency. OEMs face challenges in deployment as many connectivity providers are typically required in a large footprint. This makes SIM card ordering and activation a logistical headache. 

The Solution: Having a singular approach to global connectivity through one SKU and leveraging localized connectivity streamlines logistics as well as provides reliable, resilient connectivity that performs at the needed requirements. 

A Real-World Telematics Use Case

Speaking in hypotheticals can only explain so much. floLIVE customer Rider Dome is an excellent example of a real-world telematics use case where complexity meets high-demand requirements on a global scale. 

ADAS technology is ubiquitous in almost any modern car and even regulated in certain regions, and yet motorcycles have, in many ways, been left behind. In addition, as motorcycle fleets increasingly become common to meet use cases such as food delivery and timely logistics in vehicle-crowded regions, fleet managers want a better view of what’s happening with their drivers.  Rider Dome handles both of these issues with one technology solution, where a motorcycle rider receives real-time alerts, and all the data is sent to a centralized platform for management and monitoring. 

To ensure the data is captured accurately and updated in real-time, Rider Dome needed reliable cellular connectivity worldwide, as its customer base is truly global.

At first, the company approached local SIM resellers and  Mobile Network Operators in each country. However, the idea of working with so many providers and juggling all the necessary integrations was a logistical nightmare. Some of them wanted a very large commitment, while Rider Dome was looking to start small and then scale.

Digital solutions in telematics offer significant benefits, but the complexities associated with getting the solution to market and supporting it can make it a costly effort in regard to both time and finances. 

That’s why Rider Dome turned to floLIVE. 

Join Us for a Detailed Webinar 

floLIVE and Rider Dome will be discussing not just the complicated ecosystem that creates challenges in global connectivity but how to achieve it in the most straightforward way that’s built to last. Particularly in telematics, where visibility is a topline benefit, Rider Dome and floLIVE explain how to have eyes on assets anywhere in the world. 

Register now for the January 31 webinar.