U Mobile, Qualcomm and City-Link experiment using 5G trackers on your parcels
U Mobile’s business arm U Business, Qualcomm and City-Link Express have completed a Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrating how 5G-powered IoT tracking can improve monitoring of high-value air cargo shipments.
The trial focused on shipments transported from the City-Link Express main hub in Bandar Saujana Putra, Selangor to cargo terminals in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, covering real-world logistics handoffs between airports, ground handlers and airlines. According to the companies, the pilot achieved up to 90% faster shipment location verification and up to 70% reduction in operational review time.
Traditional logistics tracking typically relies on barcode scans at specific checkpoints, whereas in this pilot they used Qualcomm-powered tracking devices for real-time tracking. These tracking devices also allowed for shock and vibration monitoring as well as flagging other potential handling issues such as tilt, temperature and light exposure.
All tracking data was transmitted using U Mobile’s ULTRA IoT connectivity, while positioning data was handled using Qualcomm’s Terrestrial Positioning Service (TPS). This system uses cellular and WiFi signals, and optionally Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to maintain location accuracy even in places where GPS signals are weak, such as warehouses or airport cargo zones.
The companies claim this their proof of concept allowed for a continuous digital audit trail that captured each handoff across the logistics chain, from departure to delivery. This then increased dispute readiness by up to 50%, as City-Link no longer needed to rely on handler reports and instead has a digital trail to track.
They also claim that by switching to these digital trackers, they were able to reduce operational review time by up to 70% thanks to the automated logging and GPS trails. It also lowered their per-shipment costs as well as improving data accuracy by up to 30% for better route optimisation.
There’s no word yet of course on how far these companies are going to take it beyond the proof of concept stage. That being said, U Mobile stated that they are keen on leveraging their U Business solutions and 5G network to further scale businesses, while City-Link added that at least so far, they have had a positive response to the digital trackers’ performance.
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