Telematics Solution Checklist

20.12.2021
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Analyze your market readiness regarding device and cellular connectivity to succeed with your new telematics product.

Is your telematics solution ready for 2022?

Are you planning to roll out a new telematics product or upgrade the existing solution? To ensure you have all things considered regarding the device and cellular connectivity, we have put together a 24-point checklist that will help you analyze your market readiness and set your telematics solution up for success in 2022.

The checklist is divided into five sections that guide from the radio network technology availability in the target markets, device functionality and certification, towards cellular connectivity platform features, and connectivity commercial models to help you operate and scale efficiently.

Technology availability

IoT connectivity, especially cellular networks, is constantly evolving. Meanwhile, telematics devices often have a lifetime that spans years. Ensuring the radio technologies supported by your solution are available throughout its lifecycle help to future-proof your technology stack and avoid complex and cost-intensive upgrade and replacement along the line.

  • Which radio technologies are available in these countries? Check online here.
  • Will any of these technologies be shut down in the device lifetime? See our complete list of 2G and 3G sunsets.
  • Which frequency bands do the operators use for the radio technologies? Check online here.

Device

Developing an idea and prototype into a full-fledged product is a huge endeavor, but it doesn’t stop there. Bringing your devices to the market entails other critical requirements that often come only as an afterthought – typically device certification, radio regulations, and device lifecycle management. By incorporating these aspects into your checklist from the outset, you can save development time and costs while better preparing for future operations.

  • Is the device regulatory approved for the countries? View the GSMA guide.
  • When using one network operator, does it have the operator's certification?
  • In which frequency bands does your modem work? Do they match with the operator's frequency bands in your deployment countries?
  • Can the device be updated over the air?
  • Does the device store data when losing connectivity?
  • Do you need standard meter-level or centimeter-level accuracy (Real-time kinematic)?

Connection availability

Whether your telematics devices operate within or across borders, a redundant network architecture guarantees maximum connection uptime for your solution reliability. Eliminating dependency on a single operator mitigates disruption risk and enhances resiliency.

  • Does your provider have network coverage within the country?
  • Is there automatic switching between 2+ operators in each country?
  • Is there a home operator fallback (multi-IMSI or eUICC)?

Connectivity management platform

A connectivity management platform gives your technical and support teams control over device connections and the ability to monitor and analyze your telematics devices. A versatile solution not only helps you detect an issue and isolate the root cause fast with rich network insights, but also provides powerful, intuitive tools for proactive troubleshooting, SIM security, and efficient processes. Below are the top functionalities to consider.

  • Can you block networks with issues on a device level?
  • Is it possible to reset the network to trigger GPS device reconnection?
  • Is there a real-time view on data usage, costs, and device events?
  • Is it possible to prevent SIM misuse in another device with IMEI lock?
  • Can you order SIM cards online for quick delivery?
  • Can you send SMS via Portal, API, and Low-Code to automate device provisioning?

Commercial checklist

With competition in the fleet management market getting fiercer and margins dwindling, a lot goes into the commercial model of a telematics solution provider. Beyond the immediately tangible data costs, multiple other considerations need to be factored into your cost equation, especially when weighing different connectivity vendors, to circumvent wasted operational costs further down the road.

  • Does the connectivity provider offer a single rate plan in all countries where you are deploying?
  • Can the rate plan be adjusted to your required data volume so you do not overpay?
  • Is data pooling across devices available to balance low and high-consuming devices?
  • Can the device send test data during pre-deployment without activating the SIM contract?
  • Can you flexibly suspend the SIM contract anytime needed?
  • Is there a minimum contract commitment?

Now that you have gone through the checklist, it is time to tick the boxes. While certain requirements can be checked in a matter of minutes, most others require deeper analysis and assessment. Get the downloadable checklist below to have it handy and evaluate it with your team today!

About emnify

emnify is your trusted connectivity partner to build and deliver industry-leading telematics solutions. Our global IoT SIM cards enable your devices to intelligently use the best cellular connections among our 540 networks wherever the fleet goes. With a powerful cellular IoT platform, we give you complete network visibility and control and intuitive tools to simplify how you ship, deploy and manage your telematics solution anywhere in the world.

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The content team of emnify is specialized in all things IoT. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any question.