Our global connectivity team, particularly those who like a beer, were very interested to read about The Smart Container Company, a start-up which is “pioneering the use of IoT to revolutionise the draught beer supply chain”.
According to the profile of the company here,
“Underneath the golden deliciousness of a pale ale is a sinister sector secret. The global beer industry may be a multi-billion dollar behemoth, but its supply chain is also plagued by inefficiencies and a lack of transparency.
Kegs are routinely lost or misplaced, leading to waste and lost revenue for both brewers and stockists.
The Smart Container Company's patented IoT device, Kegtracker, addresses these challenges. By connecting kegs to the internet, it provides real-time visibility into the draught beer supply chain.
Kegtracker is attached to steel kegs and collects data on their location, temperature, volume, and movement. This data is then transmitted to a cloud-based platform, where it can be accessed by brewers, distributors, and retailers.
Not that this smart technology is just about tracking kegs.
By providing real-time data on product quality, consumption, and inventory levels, Kegtracker also enables businesses to make informed decisions about their supply chain.
In addition to its impact on the beer industry, The Smart Container Company's technology has the potential to be applied to other liquids and industries. The company is already exploring how its Keg-tracking technology can be utilised during the transportation of industrial gases such as oxygen and hydrogen”.
All sounds very sensible and highly do-able but the one thing that isn’t mentioned is how Kegtracker, the IoT device, will be connected…
Global Connectivity and IoT
In a previous blog Global SIMs - why IoT devices should be shipped with them we discussed this article by Speedcast based on a report by Cisco which explains “Why IoT projects fail and what you can do to prevent it”.
Reliable connectivity is key to the success of most IoT projects. And yet far too often IoT device manufacturers – such as The Smart Container Company - leave the connectivity component to the end-user or agency that deploys their device - and may well end up blaming the device rather than poor connectivity for project failure.
However, when a manufacturer decides to take greater control over the connectivity of its IoT devices, it faces another challenge - it may not know where its device will end up and, even if it knows the country and can partner with a particular MNO the device’s connectivity is still at the mercy of one operator with unreliable bandwidth and patchy connectivity very real possibilities.
And again this will leave the owner of the IoT device left with the problem of juggling multiple SIMs across devices to find the strongest local network.
Using Telecom26’s multi-network SIMS for global tracking
Following demand from a variety of organisations using our global connectivity services, Telecom26’s R&D team has developed a GPS tracking service which uses our multi-network global SIM cards.
Telecom26’s GPS tracking service differs from other offerings in that it integrates both GPS tracking and connectivity management. This integration makes life much easier for businesses who need to track their vehicles, products, people – and beer keys - as they move around the world – and the IT and comms teams that support them.
You can read more about our GPS Tracking solution in our earlier blog: Telecom26’s new integrated GPS tracking analytics platform; built to provide a comprehensive, secured tracking solution.
Telecoms26’s global SIM cards
Just one of our SIMs in an IoT device:
- Provides access to all of the networks covered by our global roaming service. That’s 1100+ cellular networks belonging to 650+ mobile operators in 200+ countries.
- Removes the need to worry about the coverage of a single MNO, or the existence of roaming alliances. Our SIMs automatically select the best performing network in the area, cross-border, while providing enterprises with the freedom to change SIM profiles and services with ease.
- Can be customised with routing profiles built for each IoT device according to a customer’s needs and budget. For example, for organisations that are more price sensitive we can ensure that our Global SIM cards automatically connect to the cheapest service in the area.
In a nutshell, Telecom26 enables data connectivity, anywhere - so that your IoT device can connect to the best available network, regardless of location.
Interested? Please click here to find more about how integrated GPS and SIM connectivity makes life much easier for your logistics and IT teams.
Get in touch for global connectivity
And if you’d like to organise a video call to discuss how we can help improve the global connectivity of your team please get in touch.
Of course, as a full operator member of the GSMA, we’ll be at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. So, if you’d like to meet in-person please book a meeting.
