Australia raised $10.8 million by planning a network of nanosatellites for IoT applications.

Fleet space technologies located in Adelaide, capital of Southern Australia, recently raised $10.8 million by planning a network of nanosatellites for IoT applications. It is reported the company has several global investors including Horizon Ventures, Momenta Ventures, Grok Ventures, existing investor Blackbird Ventures and the Kennard family, whose equipment hire company Kennards Hire, is already a fleet customer. It says the latest funding round introduces

“strategic investors specifically chosen by Fleet to help develop its solutions to become even more powerful and deploy it (sic) with the right network and technology partners.”

The Momenta web site says Momenta is investing in LPWAN because the global LPWAN market is forecast to grow to $US24b in 2021, a CAGR of 90 percent and because “LoRaWAN is the de facto standard complementing emerging 5G offerings.”

The web site also shows one other investment by the LPWAN fund, in Kolmostar, billed as a positioning technology company that is reinventing the industry’s GNSS (GPS, Beidou, etc) positioning approach to achieve ultra-low-power (sub-mW) and high-precision (centimetre level) positioning in harsh metropolitan environments for Internet-of-Things devices and autonomous vehicles.”

Up till date the Fleet space technologies has successfully deployed its first four nanosatellites by using SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Indian Space Research Organization satellites. The first commercial satellite of Fleet space technologies was named Centauri I, which was launched by ISRO and Centauri II by Space X in December 2016. Other two experimental satellites, Proxima I & II were launched a month earlier by Rocket Labs. According to the Fleet, they are now building the next generation of satellites for launch in the coming year.

Source: IOT Australia. 

Revolutionary Trends in AVL Technology: Navigating the Future with Leading Manufacturers

From cutting-edge wearables and IoT platforms to next-generation Telematics solutions – there’s plenty to discover in this article on the latest GNSS manufacturer trends impacting the Fleet Management sector today. We’ve got everything covered from global players and our hardware partners like Teltonika, Queclink and JimiIoT to disruptors shaping tomorrow’s industry landscape. But first things first; why focus on AVL trends? 

The simple reason being – AVL technology lies at the heart of our rapidly developing digital ecosystem – enabling us to make better decisions faster than ever before. The AVL market has seen exponential growth due to widespread usage, resulting in fierce competition among players to introduce novel features and products. This section will delve into several categories where GPS manufacturers are transforming specific industries. Are you ready to explore exciting new developments happening in the world of AVL technology? Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at how leading GPS manufacturers are revolutionizing fleet management with their state-of-the-art products and services!

Quecklink – Unparalleled Expertise in M2M Communications

Since Quecklink specializes primarily in GSM/GPRS & LTE cellular network communication protocols, it comes as no surprise that their GPS units have a distinct edge when it comes to M2M connectivity matters. They excel not only in telematics for commercial vehicles but also in industrial settings, providing dependable solutions for container and heavy equipment tracking. Customers appreciate their ability to adapt platforms like J1939 and OBD-II to interface diagnostic information. By doing so, Quecklink enables fleet managers to access vital information related to vehicle operation, maintenance, fuel consumption, driver behavior, and more. Recently, Queclink introduced another tiny tracker named GT30, boasting a 5G module for low-power wide-area network connection and built-in SOS button. the devices cater to diverse commercial needs with ultra-low power consumption rates with superior battery life with temperature and vibration monitoring.

Eagle-IoT – A Software Partner Leading the Charge for Telematics Integration Excellence

Telematic integrators play a vital role in providing connectivity, enabling seamless interaction between hardware and software components. Eagle-IoT is proud to be significant player revolutionizing the industry with her partnerships with leading global players in the GPS device market Collaborating closely with GPS manufacturer hardware leaders like Jimi IoT, Teltonika, and Quecklink; Eagle-IoT has developed customized software solutions leveraging the unique strengths of respective hardwares offering best-in-class integration experiences. The proprietary architecture allows seamless data transfer and compatibility, thus maximizing the value proposition offered to customers in different industries. With innovative approach, Eagle-IoT is paving the way towards future-ready digital infrastructures, enabling business success in this ever-changing world.

Mercedes-Benz Vans will now allow driver behavior monitoring on all new Sprinter and Vito Tourer

Mercedes-Benz Vans announced to provide its Mercedes PRO, a connected vehicle service that will allow monitoring driver behavior on all-new Sprinter and Vito Tourer as a standard model for three years. This service will be available to all the vehicles manufactured since May 2019, besides this, it can be also be remotely retrofitted to any existing new Sprinter by the customer using “over-the-air” software updates. This development was impacted by recent research conducted by Mercedes-Benz Vans into connected vehicle trends. The research indicated the fleets are rapidly using telematics solution to monitor the driver behavior. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of fleet and SME customers surveyed, claimed that they want to use telematics or connected vehicle technology for this purpose. Mercedes-Benz Vans is offering the solution free-of-charge to enhance the safety and efficiency so fleets can analyze their driver behavior and identify areas where improvement is needed.

New TGA Compliance Requirements for Hazmat Trucking in a nutshel

What is Hazmat Trucking?

Hazmat trucking is the transportation of hazardous materials, which includes petroleum products, hazardous gases, chemicals and radioactive materials.

Being a transporter dealing with hazmat trucking, safety is the foremost priority. Drivers hauling a hazmat load and petroleum products have the added stress of ensuring they are following the additional regulations for this type of cargo.

What are the prerequisites for generating a permit?

All the transporters should have a valid operation card before they bring their fleet on road and operation card can only be generated if a vehicle is connected with WASL through an TGA authorized vehicle tracking service provider.

What is WASL and how to connect your vehicle?

WASL is platform developed by TGA to monitor the transport vehicles. Location, speed, driver and vehicle load are some of many parameters that are being tracked by TGA.

In order to connect your vehicle to WASL, you have to contact TGA authorized service provider Digital Myth Solutions and get your vehicle installed with Eagle-I Fleet Management System. The system consists of an AVL device, driver identification system (optional) and most importantly Load sensor. After installation, your vehicle will be registered with WASL, and once validated, you will be able to generate the operation card.

LoRa Alliance® announces to expands the coverage with battery operated relay for LPWANs

The LoRa Alliance®, the global community of businesses which supports the open LoRaWAN® standard for internet of things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) has announced on October 03, to expand the LoRaWAN link-layer standard with the inclusion of a relay specification. A contender approach to achieve robust network coverage in challenging environments will be battery-operated relays that will be easy-to-deploy network coverage extensions at a minimal cost of deploying additional gateways. The battery-operated relay will be low powered, and standards-based approach enabling LoRaWAN to provide exceptional deep interior or subterranean coverage. Furthermore, it will also serve as relay data on nearby satellite-connected LoRaWAN devices.

Although the LoRaWAN standard has establish itself for long-distance communications but there might be physical constraints where LPWAN communications may not reach(it includes turns, underground). The signal can be be reflected/relayed into a specified area. However, LoRaWAN relays now enable signals to travel where they could not previously. The document LoRaWAN TS011-1.0.0 LoRaWAN Relay Specification outlines the relaying technique used to carry LoRaWAN frames bi-directionally between an end-device and a gateway/network server through a battery-powered node. In case of gateway’s insufficient coverage, the device can be set to relay, it will transport LoRaWAN frames between an end-device and the network.

This specification allows network coverage expansion using battery-powered relay while retaining protocol and security compatible with the LoRaWAN Link-Layer standard. The new relay nodes are battery-powered and can be deployed anywhere without the necessity of electricity or internet access making them relatively simple, cost-effective, and power efficient approach to enhance network coverage without the requirement for additional gateways.