One in Three Commercial Fleet Telematics Units Shipped Based on Consumer Smartphone Platforms by 2018

image
03 Dec 2013

​With today’s mobile and cloud-based technology, commercial fleets no longer need to fit expensive hardware on their new trucks and the availability of consumer mobile devices with increasingly sophisticated capabilities means that smaller fleets are embracing commercial telematics.

Most fleet operators are already using smartphones as service access devices to monitor their fleets remotely. Now commercial telematics service providers are increasingly adapting their core applications including track & trace/route planning, driver behavior and fuel management solutions to run on consumer-grade smartphone and tablet devices.

“With GPS and accelerometer functionality, plus the power and flexibility of a sophisticated computer, smartphones and tablets are already important platforms for telematics applications,” comments Gareth Owen, principal analyst. “As sensors continue to develop, and new technologies such as voice and gesture recognition improve further, smartphone and tablet-based applications will become even more compelling for fleet telematics.”

Commercial telematics providers such as Telogis and XRS Corporation are becoming device agnostic and are making their solutions available on consumer-grade smartphone and tablet devices as well as the typical ruggedized, customized mobile and tablet PC devices. Another trend is ruggedized mobile devices increasingly being based on smartphones OSes such as Android, rather than Windows. For example, Zonar Technologies’ new 2020 remote terminal is based on a modified Android platform which gives fleet operators the flexibility to use applications from third party providers as well as from Zonar. There are also an increasing number of specialist providers, such as GreenRoad, who are focused specifically on developing lower-cost Android and iOS based telematics solutions for consumer-grade smartphone and tablet devices.

“Although there will always be a need for fixed terminals which cannot be switched off in certain specialized verticals, such as oil and gas or mining due to safety reasons, we see the trend towards using consumer-grade devices accelerating strongly in the future, particularly as truck OEMs are forced to open up their vehicles to third-party applications,” adds Owen.

These findings are part of ABI Research’s Commercial Vehicle Telematics and Mobile OS, Browsers and Applications Research Services.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com , or call +1.516.624.2500.

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology solution providers and end-market companies. We serve as the bridge that seamlessly connects these two segments by providing exclusive research and expert guidance to drive successful technology implementations and deliver strategies proven to attract and retain customers.

ABI Research 是一家全球性的技术情报公司,拥有得天独厚的优势,充当终端市场公司和技术解决方案提供商之间的桥梁,通过提供独家研究和专业性指导,推动成功的技术实施和提供经证明可吸引和留住客户的战略,无缝连接这两大主体。

For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact ABI Research

Media Contacts

Americas: +1.516.624.2542
Europe: +44.(0).203.326.0142
Asia: +65 6950.5670

Related Service