The countdown to 4G is nearly over for Australian fleets
The people with fleet management responsibilities will have had a year full of tasks. There’s EV adoption and the transition to more sustainable operations, the ever-present demand to achieve more with available resources, and a host of management responsibilities to do with employees, ranging from driver behaviour to managing them more efficiently.
Unfortunately, with so much to do, the critical need to swap over to 4G devices ahead of the 3G switch may have been pushed back in the queue. If this sounds like you, and you're in Australia, the urgency to embrace 4G is now unavoidable.
In Australia, Telstra switches off 3G on August 31st, with Optus following on September 1st.
There's a bit more time for New Zealand fleets but don't let a deadline of March 31st 2025 lure* you into complacency. March next year seems a long way off but consider the ducks that need to be in a row to ensure a seamless transition. For a start, you need to make sure your telematics supplier has a strategy for the 4G transition, including sourcing, testing and approving suitable replacements. Talk to them now to find out what their strategy is.
You are also going to have to factor in that lots of fleets will be looking to get replacement devices at the same time. This could potentially create a logistical and product supply logjam, particularly if too many fleets leave their transition to the last minute.
Fortunately for Smartrak customers, the announcements that 3G operations would eventually cease started an extensive program of preparation for us that's now been going for nearly three years. During that time, our Product Development and Customer Success teams have been pursuing a 4G transition strategy that will enable our customers to experience a successful transition.
Our efforts have focused on three areas that will be critical to maintaining business and operational continuity for our customers, during the transition and beyond.
Throughout this period Smartrak has been helping our customers prepare for the transition. Through a combination of general information releases and targeted engagement via the Customer Success Managers, Smartrak ensured that all customers were fully informed and equipped to develop a successful transition plans.
Smartrak embraced the transition to 4G as an exciting development and we wanted our customers to be in a position where they saw the benefits 4G brings to fleet management and safety.
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Benefits of upgrading to 4G
4G offers a substantial improvement in data speed. 4G stands for fourth generation, and it’s a step-change in cellular capabilities that will make everything faster and smoother. In fact, 4G is 500 times faster than 3G, making support for high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing and other data-heavy solutions easier and quicker. For our customers, this also means better connectivity when a device is communicating from a moving vehicle, for instance.
4G opens up an exciting future of possibilities, with expanded capabilities for telematics solutions. Video capture of the events leading up to a vehicle accident, or video monitoring of drivers to identify fatigued driving or smoking in the vehicle are all opportunities that can be more easily realised with 4G.
4G offers network confidence with excellent connectivity in urban zones. And for those rare instances where 4G does not match 3G in some areas there’s the new Nextrak device, which automatically falls back to 2G when 4G coverage drops out. Taken as a combined offering, 4G/2G coverage is actually better than current 3G, and if there are issues in remote areas Smartrak will recommend deploying satellite or dual cellular/satellite solutions.
We're ready to help you switch to 4G
We've done the research and testing required to find suitable 4G replacements for our existing solutions and we've put hardware through an exhaustive testing regime, including multi-hour round trips through notorious coverage black spots. We’re also proud to say that our entire solution suite is now 4G compatible.
Developing your fleet’s 4G Transition Plan
If you've recently purchased hardware from us, you're already 4G future proofed. If you're an existing customer that still has old 3G hardware, get in touch with us today to start the process of upgrading to 4G.
We also understand that every fleet is different with regards to the devices deployed (tracking devices, personal safety devices, etc.) and that the 4G Transition Plan for your fleet needs to be a bespoke document. Smartrak’s Help Desk and our Customer Success Managers have been fully engaged in helping customers through the transition and that knowledge is ready and available to help you with your transition.
A FAQ sheet has been prepared to cover any immediate questions you may have. Download it here. Alternatively, if you're a Smartrak customer, you can talk to one of our Customer Success Managers directly for more information.
*March 31st 2025 is the deadline for NZ customers of One NZ. For 2degrees and Spark NZ Customers, it's sometime in late 2025.
Read the full blog here.