“We
are always investing in new solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and
cloud services to enable our customers to benefit from the latest innovation in
technology, achieve better operational efficiencies and create new business
opportunities. In this regard, we continue to work with innovative, global
partners to build and deliver these new products and solutions”
Group COO for business
solutions/ICT at Digicel Martin Carroll commenting on the launch of Digicel
Asset Tracking
Tracking
the location of your parcels just got an upgrade in Jamaica, thanks to Digicel.
On
Wednesday December 16th 2016 officially announced that they had
launched a new service dubbed Digicel
Asset Tracking as reported in the article “Digicel
launches asset-tracking service”, published Wednesday, December 16, 2015 by
Avia Collinder, The Jamaica Observer.
 |
Digicel
Asset Tracking will allow fleet managers of various organization to track:
1.
Fleets of Vehicles
2.
Parcels
The
aim of this service is to enable clients to:
1.
ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival
Projections thereby reducing Employee's idling on the Road
2.
Efficient Fleet Management for Large
Deliver and Service Companies
3.
Provide GPS Services for Lost
Drivers
The
technology behind their service is powered by the partner Dublin, Ireland based
Fleet Management company f6, who had announced the Vehicle Tracking product in
March 2014 as reported in my blog article
entitled “Irish
f6 and Digicel Business partner to offer Fleet Management and Vehicle Tracking
Services”.
Digicel
Asset Tracking utilizes Digicel’s Cloud servers to deliver Vehicle and
parcel tracking services to their various clients as reported in the article “Digicel Business
launches Asset Tracking”, published 2015-12-04, Digicel via Go-Jamaica.
This
service comes at a time when GPS satellites are slowly being upgraded since
2013 by the US Air Force. They had granted a US$200 million contract to Lockheed
Martin to upgrade the current GPS Network with their 5th and 6th
Generation Global Positioning System satellites, known as GPS III as reported
in the article “U.S.
Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin Contract to Complete Two More GPS III
Satellites”, published December 16, 2013, Lockheed Martin.
GPS
III promises faster, more precise real time tracking services as the video
below explains. Upgrades will have increase signal strength and tracking accuracy
within 1 meter square by the year 2020 when the upgrade will be completed.
The
only difference between the announcement back then and now is the inclusion of
parcel tracking, suggesting that the tracking device is the size of a small
candybar cellphone to quote Group COO for business solutions/ICT at Digicel
Martin Carroll: “You can also monitor something as simple as a parcel by just
placing it inside the parcel”.
So
how does their GPS Vehicle and asset tracking Service work?
Introducing Digicel
Asset Tracking – How GPS Tracking works
The
service works using a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) module that tracks the
location of the vehicle or package. The module can either be installed inside
the vehicle with its own battery supply or even be more portable than that, as
it can also be powered by the cigarette lighter in your vehicle.
It
then continuously transmits the location data received from the GPS Satellites.
this data is then send over a 3G or 4G or even GPRS (Global Packet Radio
Service) to f6's servers which then routes it to the client, either via a
browser interface or an app on their smartphone.
Digicel
Asset Tracking, albeit sophisticated is already a service baked into your
smartphone as explained in my blog article
entitled “How
to track any Google Android, Apple iPhone or Samsung smartphone that has GPS
and Internet activated”.
So
clearly, their services are not being aimed at the regular customer on the
street.
So
who are Digicel's potential clients?
Digicel Asset Tracking
clients – Drone Deliveries on the horizon
According
to their Press Release, Digicel
Asset Tracking, a subsection of Digicel Business, is aimed at the following
potential clients:
1.
Enterprise
2.
Corporate
3.
Government Institution
4.
MSME's
5.
Car Rentals
6.
Equiptment Rentals
7.
Transportation and logistics
8.
Construction Public services
According
to my sources the JUTC AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locator) service as described in
my blog article
entitled “JUTC's
AVL and Chaos on Back to School Day – How JUTC's Automatic Vehicle locator may
placate Smartphone toting Commuters who ask Are we There Yet” was implemented using Digicel
Asset Tracking hardware and software.
So
already, they may have a client in the field using their technology. Does Digicel
Asset Tracking have competition in Jamaica?
Digicel Asset Tracking
competitors - FLOW Jamaica is a
competitor along with Security Companies
Digicel
Asset Tracking has competitors as they are not alone; they're entering a
crowded field with other competitors:
1.
Guardsman via its subsidiary
ClearChannel now Guardsman Alarms
2.
KingAlarm in partnership with Telecom
Provider Digicel as noted on King Alarm's Website
3.
Hawkeye Electronics Security Limited
service HawkTracker via their own private Network
4.
PBS Tracking and Motor Vehicle Security
5.
Safe and Secure Tracking and
Technologies, a subsidiary of POGAS Fourth World Investments
Good
to know that even FLOW Jamaica, formerly LIME, has an interest in this field
via their partnership with Guardsman Alarms as noted in the article “Guardsman
launches car tracking system”, published Wednesday, 28 January 2004 by the
Jamaica Observer, Archived by TechJamaica.
So
Digicel will be competing not only against these five (5) fairly large players,
but also again their old nemesis in Telecoms, FLOW Jamaica. So how does Digicel
plan to compete against these established giants?
Digicel Asset Tracking
plan – Parcel Tracking for Postal Corporation of Jamaica Drone Delivery Service
To
differentiate themselves, Digicel
Asset Tracking plans to offer parcel tracking as well. This implies that
they’re tracking parcels delivered via a secure courier, most likely 1 day
delivery for clients that use secure private courier services.
This
suggests they’re eyeing Drone Delivery services coming to Jamaica in the future.
Already
there are plans to make the Postal Corporation of Jamaica aka Jamaica Post more mobile as announced in
March 2015 in my blog
article entitled “Postal
Corporation of Jamaica Goes Mobile - How Mobile Postal Offices might
incorporate Autonomous Drone Delivery”.
According
to my sources in the Government of Jamaica, this will involved the use of
Mobile post offices using LPG Gas as well as Drones as predicted in my blog article entitled
“SingPost
Postal Package Delivery Drones - Why Postal Corporation of Jamaica Mini-Drone
Airports for Jamaica”.
If
my Government sources, with who I meet, cloak and dagger style, are correct,
then in the future, Digicel may form a partnership with the Jamaica Post to enable Drone Deliveries
within 24 hours, islandwide.
According
to my Government Source, Digicel will not only be providing the tracking and
logistics services, possible even using their fleet of Digicel Play vans to
recover lost parcels as well as maintain drones lost in the field. I’ve even got some of my other Call Center sources
telling me that GraceKennedy may also be providing Call Center Support for this
Drone Delivery Service.
This
as GraceKennedy new Call Center, which coincidentally is located in the Jamaica Post headquarters, may actually
have the Ministry of Science, Technology Energy and Mining, who are in charge
of the Postal Corporation of Jamaica as one of their “third party clients” as
noted in my blog
article entitled “How
to find work in Jamaica at Call Centers - GraceKennedy Call Center necessary
for Product Customer Support”.
In
summary, Digicel
Asset Tracking may have the Jamaica
Post, which is part of the Ministry of Science, Technology Energy and
Mining, as their first client. Even more interesting, they may also be
providing parcel tracking services for the Jamaica
Post’s Mobile delivery service using LPG powered vehicles or drones.
Only
this time will tell if their vehicle and parcel tracking services will bring
peace of mind for fleet managers as well as the Jamaica Post.
Here’s
the link:
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