With global supply chains significantly disrupted, the requirement for accurate, reliable and secure cross-border logistics and freight management has never been so evident. But, of course, there is a flipside – one company’s misfortune is another’s opportunity.
For example, many delivery services – such as online goods and clothes retailers, supermarkets, takeaway food deliveries, and even ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers looking to keep their business afloat by expanding into online services – are seeing a huge spike in demand as millions of us around the world sit out the COVID-19 lockdown.
Seamless connectivity
Seamless connectivity, at every stage of the journey across the entire supply chain – whether tracking and managing the whereabouts of goods that are ‘frozen’ in the supply chain or managing a sudden and unexpected surge in demand – can, literally, make the difference between a business staying afloat and the same business collapsing, particularly in these unprecedented times.
Consider online supermarket deliveries, which are experiencing a never-before-seen surge in demand, with many consumers unable to book a delivery slot due to exceptionally high volumes.
Each vehicle needs to be in the right place at the right time in order to meet tight delivery schedules. Furthermore, the status of the driver and the vehicle need to be monitored closely. Driver safety is, of course, paramount in these unique circumstances. Likewise, with many goods at a premium – due to stalled supply chains and pent-up demand – ensuring that they are kept at the right temperature and humidity in the delivery vehicle, and delivered in prime condition, throughout a long day is essential.
At the same time, ensuring that vehicles are being driven safely and running optimally means that remote monitoring and diagnostics are another vital component in operating the ‘supply chain’ in the best manner possible.
Of course, none of this differs from normal (non-COVID-19) day-to-day freight management and logistics, but the situation certainly shines a light on what can happen if and when supply chains go wrong.
Dynamic access to public and private networks
Telecom26’s connectivity solutions are unique in providing seamless connectivity at every step of the freight journey, from the farm to the warehouse to transportation and on to the final outlet. Furthermore, we are unique in our ability to merge public networks (cellular, WiFi, VoIP, satellite) with private networks, seamlessly, dynamically and securely.
So, for example, vehicles could be tracked using the cellular network when out delivering, and then switch dynamically to a private network once the vehicle returns to the depot, allowing vital data to be downloaded from the vehicle quickly and efficiently, which can then be analysed to help optimise future deliveries or iron out potential issues.
Telecom26’s multi-IMSI SIM can access both public and private networks simultaneously, switching between the two seamlessly. The core is not shared, and therefore there are no delays and data is more secure, giving enterprises complete control over their entire environment, including full authentication and policy controls.
Dynamic, robust, secure connectivity across the entire supply chain
But Telecom26 can also provide robust, secure coverage across all key domains, regardless of location – even container ships at sea. And because Telecom 26 can also offer low cost full mobile roaming service across 600+ mobile networks and 220+ countries/territories with a single SIM, it means that vehicles and goods can be monitored and managed even in rural areas, or in locations with patchy cellular coverage.
Meanwhile, our new Telecom26 Celerway router offers the best Quality of Service (QoS) because it uses multiple modems, each with multi-IMSI SIMs. So, while one or more modems are serving connectivity, the other is constantly scanning for optimum coverage. The router will then automatically and seamlessly switch to the best possible QoS on a different network, as soon as a drop in QoS or coverage is detected, ensuring that vehicles and drivers are always connected to the strongest signal available.
Telecom 26 offers a fully managed service offering in a single package with the ability to securely access multiple technologies, including 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi, NB-IoT, RFID, private networks, satellite, 2G, 3G and 4G, as well as offshore connectivity capabilities. It means that whatever challenges are thrown at your supply chain, you can be sure that the seamless and secure connectivity provided by Telecom 26 solutions can help to overcome them.
