4G LTE Migration Is the Moment to Embrace New Telematics Cloud Technology

The 3G sunset is underway. AT&T is decommissioning its 3G network, Sprint and T-Mobile are shutting theirs down by summer, and Verizon’s 3G network is going dark at the end of 2022. For telematics service providers (TSPs) and enterprise fleets, the 3G sunset means migrating to the next-generation telematics technology, either by switching to 4G LTE capable telematics devices or upgrading the firmware of existing devices. This 4G LTE migration presents an opportunity to leverage the richer data insights enabled through 4G LTE edge computing and cloud technology to improve fleet efficiency, safety and productivity.

How? By leveraging a third-party telematics platform with the latest features, including subscription device and data management services unlocked by the faster speeds and increased bandwidth of 4G LTE.

With SaaS services from the right telematics cloud platform provider, TSPs can expand their telematics offerings faster, and enterprise fleets can unlock new features, such as predictive maintenance or asset utilization that help them maximize the efficiency of their operations.

Telematics platform device management services

Cloud-based device management services allow users to design, prototype, test and provision quickly scale. With bulk device updates, they can dynamically reconfigure firmware over the air. That’s a main benefit of CalAmp’s feature-rich device management portal, part of the CalAmp Telematics Cloud (CTC) platform.

The job processor, accessed in CTC or through an end user’s platform via application programming interfaces (APIs), manages bulk device deployment, device upgrades and new feature rollouts. It can perform multiple updates per action, turning weeks of manual work into a few days of automated work. When firmware updates are needed, it executes them in the right order across all devices. It speeds deployment, saving TSPs considerable time and resources.

Support from CalAmp’s field engineering staff is available to all CTC subscribers. When there’s a tower upgrade, software bug or other issue to address, CalAmp can often solve it by enhancing its firmware and rolling it out through the telematics platform.

Once devices are configured or reconfigured, rather than actively monitoring the health of every device, TSPs can monitor device health by exception with the help of device health reports and real-time alerts. Alerts enable users to take immediate action when there’s a loss of power or other urgent problem. When it comes to device diagnosis and repair, automatically generated change logs enable easy troubleshooting.

Telematics platform data management services

Rather than invest the time and resources to ingest and format raw data from all their customers’ devices in their own cloud — and manage the security of the data passing through their platform — TSPs can leverage a API data streams from a telematics cloud partner.

CalAmp’s telematics platform  ingests and aggregates the desired data and transforms it to JSON format before sending it via an API into the TSP’s platform, ready to be displayed in the user interface. The subscription includes airtime, hardware, configuration and support services.

The CalAmp Telematics Cloud allows TSPs to maximize their profitability by focusing their efforts and resources on building compelling solutions that generate revenue. Users can leverage CalAmp’s industry-leading capabilities, standardized into developer functions, to speed up time to market.

Enriched data insights

Fleet telematics technology can do far more than reveal the location of assets, how often they’re utilized and how they’re operated. CTC provides TSPs and enterprise fleets with access to advanced telematics insights available with 4G LTE capable devices including:

  • Geolocation
  • Weather and traffic overlays
  • Preventive maintenance
  • Remote diagnostics
  • Driver behavior
  • Cargo monitoring
  • Fuel usage
  • Video telematics
  • Electronic Logging Device (ELD) services

Switching to 4G capable devices opens up worlds of possibilities with access to valuable services that improve operational visibility, efficiency and safety. For TSPs with thousands of devices to replace or reconfigure, the latest telematics platform technology makes migrating to 4G LTE easy and less expensive. For both TSPs and enterprise fleets, leveraging a telematics platform that offers data management services and feature-rich data insights can lead to a greater return on investment from every telematics device.

Contact us today for a 4G LTE migration review.

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