{"id":8282,"date":"2020-11-02T14:34:52","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T13:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=8282"},"modified":"2020-11-02T14:34:52","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T13:34:52","slug":"5g-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2020\/11\/02\/5g-2\/","title":{"rendered":"5G: A fast future for freight"},"content":{"rendered":"

With more than 20 billion mobile devices across the world connected to the Internet, the need for speed is growing almost as fast as the possibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As telematics software continues to get smarter and the possibilities of telematics technology continue to grow, so does the need to transmit more data even faster. That is a big reason why fleets should be embracing the end of 3G for 4G LTE \u2014 and looking forward to the fifth generation of mobile data cellular speed capabilities, known as 5G LTE.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce upon a time, it was enough to see where vehicles were. Now we expect to have additional insights at our fingertips regarding operational planning, compliance management, safety reporting, and financial performance,\u201d Paul Miller, connected fleets and product manager at Verizon Connect, told\u00a0FleetOwner<\/i>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The surge in smart devices has put a lot of strain on mobile networks. In just the past two years, the world has gone from 6.4 billion connected devices to more than 20 billion in 2020, according to research by Gartner, which forecasts 80\u00a0million\u00a0of those to be transportation endpoints. And that surge in more devices is why fleets must update their mobile technology. Older devices based on 3G services will soon find degraded coverage across the U.S. as cellular carriers stop maintaining the older technologies and focus on the next generation of mobile services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of that growth in mobile-connected devices came during the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate rolled out late last decade. The 3G sunsetting means some fleets that are fully compliant with the ELD mandate need to \u201cmake sure the equipment they have in place is on a network that will give them adequate coverage,\u201d Doug Schrier, vice president of product and innovation for Pegasus Transflo, told\u00a0FleetOwner<\/i>\u00a0in 2019.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The expanding data spectrum<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

As mobile data usage has grown, cellular carriers are running out of spectrum. As more spectrum is added, carriers need to phase out older generations of cellular network technology. So mobile companies stop servicing older generations of the network to focus on the latest generation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than a decade ago, 2G was phased out so mobile carriers could focus on the more prevalent 3G networks, while building up their 4G networks. This decade, carriers are phasing out 3G networks across the world (while still servicing current 4G infrastructure) to make way for 5G, which is supposed to bring users ultra-fast data speeds with low latency and bigger capacity than 4G, which is about 10 times faster than the sunsetting 3G data speeds.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While 3G mobile data could be transferred up to 384 kilobytes per second, 4G improved cellular data to up to 100 megabytes per second. Now, 5G promises speeds up to 10 gigabytes per second.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AT&T was the first major cellular carrier to shut down its 2G service back in 2017. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very successful in sunsetting the 2G network,\u201d Lisa Park, assistant vice president of Internet of Things business development at AT&T, told\u00a0FleetOwner<\/i>. \u201cWe are using our lessons learned from that to drive the success of our 3G sunset plans.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Park said AT&T has been advising its commercial customers \u201cto begin their migration planning as soon as possible to upgrade devices and solutions to 4G LTE to avoid possible service disruption.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Telematics provider Trimble started including 4G connectivity on its devices back in 2017.\u00a0 The company has spent much of the last year making sure its fleet customers who had older devices made plans to upgrade to the newer, faster technology, according to Rick\u00a0Ochsendorf, general manager of the Transportation Mobility Division at Trimble.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While some 3G service will be around in North America until 2022, networks will degrade in stages, meaning large swaths of coverage could disappear at any time, Ochsendorf pointed out to\u00a0FleetOwner<\/i>\u00a0earlier this year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fargo, N.D.-based truckload fleet Midnite Express heeded Trimble\u2019s warnings last year and began to upgrade its telematics early to prepare for the shift. \u201cWe\u2019re ready for the 3G network sunset and don\u2019t have to worry about any coverage interruptions for our drivers or customers,\u201d declared Mark Wolter, director of safety and maintenance at Midnite Express. \u201cOur goal was to get ahead of the curve and be proactive versus reactive.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like other telematics providers,\u00a0MiX\u00a0Telematics has been working with its customers to ensure there is no lag in coverage. \u201cFrom a technology point of view, we\u2019re already there in terms of being able to offer the next-generation LTE and core hardware,\u201d said Jonathan Bates, head of global marketing. \u201cThat will be progressively rolled into existing customers when they change over vehicles.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MiX\u00a0customers bundle their telematics devices with services where\u00a0MiX\u00a0retains ownership of the hardware as part of the subscription fee. \u201cIn that bundle program, we\u2019ll work out a specific changeover plan with our customers for when the hardware needs to be changed or upgraded to the next generation modem that is required,\u201d Bates explained.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fleet customers will need to install new hardware with a new SIM card to be 4G-ready, AT&T\u2019s Park said. \u201cTapping video telematics, mobile asset management and productivity apps can help drivers adapt to new realities such as contactless deliveries and contact tracing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Park suggested the following steps for fleet managers who\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0yet converted their assets:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n