Boosting supply chain digitization with Onomondo APIs and coverage

Introduction

Since 2018, Moeco, a German-based company specializing in supply chain visibility and digitalization, has been successfully deploying tracking and monitoring devices all over the world. Moeco makes disposable 5G trackers that use cellular connectivity to send important data like location, temperature, humidity, shocks, and package integrity to a wide range of industries, from oil and gas to agriculture. Moeco chose Onomondo as their preferred partner for cellular connectivity from the beginning of their business journey, recognizing them as a standout leader in the space.

Global coverage with a Network Marketplace

With Onomondo’s Network Marketplace and Network List features, Moeco has connected devices in over 25 countries and is growing. The easy-to-use interface and API of the platform make it simple to add devices to different network lists. Moeco uses the ability to create unique Network Lists to enhance their business offering by creating custom coverage maps depending on their customers’ needs. 

Regarding global coverage, Moeco CCO Nick Fedorov says, “I don’t think we had a single customer who follows the same exact path and routes that another customer does. I’ve worked with customers in Ecuador, South Africa, Peru, Germany, the Netherlands, the US, Singapore, Australia, and more – and the strength of our collaboration with Onomondo is that we can truly provide them with global coverage.”

Moeco also uses Onomondo’s coverage and platform to use cell tower triangulation to determine its devices’ locations. This method is accurate to about 100 meters, which is good enough for most shipping and logistics needs. Moeco uses this location data right within their platform, giving their customers an approximation of their cargo’s journey – without the added data consumption of GPS trackers.

API and webhook usage

Scaling an IoT product’s deployment requires the right toolset: APIs and webhooks. The Moeco team uses the Onomondo API to provision and activate SIM cards. This makes it easier to make and distribute their devices. The API also enables the activation and deactivation of network lists, allowing Moeco to adjust coverage according to their customers’ needs or cost constraints.

Webhooks from Onomondo make it easy to connect to Moeco’s platform, sending alerts for data limits, device registrations, and disconnecting from certain networks. These notifications can be sent to Slack so that the Moeco team can act quickly and effectively. The ability to automatically configure products and push notifications gives Moeco more flexibility and control over its platform and an enhanced customer experience.

“If for any reason a SIM card was locked, I know in two minutes or less. That’s really cool and a very powerful tool for me.” Ilia Astafev, CTO, Moeco

Troubleshooting devices

Unfortunately, all IoT products will experience bugs at some point. Companies must usually contact customer service and wait hours or days to debug issues, but not for Moeco.

To troubleshoot devices, Moeco first checks Network Logs to determine if the information is being received from the device. The team then looks at how the modem uses different technologies. To do this, they download data from the API and look into it further. Instead of Wireshark or other server software, Onomondo’s Traffic Monitor is used to capture traffic between the modem and the server so that bugs can be found. This greatly reduces the downtime of devices and gives the technical team at Moeco better insight into their container tracker’s performance.

Moeco has also found Onomondo’s platform to be the most capable tool for testing and debugging devices during initial pilot tests. This extends to customers that offer similar services to Onomondo, such as telecom operators. In some instances with telecom customers, Moeco finds using Onomondo’s insight tools key to successful tests with telecom customers. The level of detail Moeco can uncover with Onomondo’s platform, including Network Logs, Signaling Logs, and Traffic Monitor, has been integral to the success of new device deployments.

“I can use your platform instead of installing Wireshark or as software on the server side so I can grab all the traffic. And then our hardware engineers can use this traffic to debug or understand what’s going on between the modem itself and a network operator.” Ilia Astafev, CTO, Moeco

Price flexibility with market rate data prices

Moeco leverages Onomondo’s Magic Mode on its SIMs, providing flexibility in deployments and reducing manufacturing costs. Magic Mode SIMs have no active SIM fees and are billed only when data is transmitted. Having SIMs ready to deploy at no cost leads to significant savings over time, especially while scaling.

Also, the Network List feature of the platform makes it easy for Moeco to find the networks with the lowest data rates to choose the most affordable networks for their commercial strategy. Because of this feature, Moeco can create coverage maps for their customers that are specific to their individual needs. This can be updated in real-time on their devices without ever pushing an update to the SDK on the device.

Wrapping up

Onomondo’s platform and API are the most powerful solution for technical and commercial leaders looking for a dependable, flexible connectivity provider. Moeco’s successful device deployment across industries and countries demonstrates the power and versatility of Onomondo’s cellular connectivity services. Onomondo has proven to be a valuable partner for companies like Moeco looking to stay ahead in an increasingly connected world by streamlining device management, providing global coverage, and enabling cost-effective data usage.

For more information about Moeco and their 5G trackers, visit their website.