Telematics company partners with satellite provider to increase range of coverage
Global telematics provider Trimble has partnered with satellite communications provider Iridium to deliver telematics coverage to remote areas around Australia
The service is applicable for all of Trimble’s transport and logistics telematics products. This includes devices related to fatigue management, breakdown alerts, vehicle performance management, live monitoring of cargo and more.
The satellite coverage service will be available in December as an optional feature that comes with an extra cost to the user.
“As long as the not in a building or underground you will have coverage. If you were to put an Australian truck in the middle of Africa it will still be able to send data,” Trimble general manager Michel Van Maercke says.
Maercke says that the data transfer speed of the satellite coverage is less than that of traditional terrestrial methods, but that for the purposes of telematics the difference is not noticeable to the transport operator.
“The most important thing is mainly for safety. If you are stuck in the middle of the outback you want your message to get out there,” Van Maercke adds.
Trimble entered the Australian market a year and a half ago with the release of its telematics system, and Maercke says that the partnership with Iridium forms part of Trimble’s overall strategy of adapting to local conditions.