Satellite constellation Sateliot and asset tracking specialist Sensefinity are collaborating to launch 5G IoT satellite connectivity to connect 1,000 smart containers and save medium shipping companies up to $1.4 million per year on container maintenance and repairs.

Without NB-IoT coverage at high sea, trackers and sensors can only record smart container information, uploading it once vessels are near shore. This can be too late for damaged cargo. Legacy satellite transmission costs for every container are a high addition to a vessel’s already expensive bills, particularly when considering tariffs and port and channel fees.

With Sateliot’s 5G NB-IoT satellite constellation, Sensefinity will be able to report location, temperature, humidity, vibration and container breach in near real-time, allowing high-impact use cases such as notifications when a container falls into the ocean, alerting for fires inside containers, warning for cold-chain breaks for sensitive cargo like food and medicines and reporting impacts and damages in containers.

Jaume Sanpera, Sateliot CEO, said “Investing in smart containers and global continuous connectivity transmission through our network of 5G-NB IoT satellites will provide vessels and shipping companies better control of transported goods, avoiding damage claims and lawsuits costing companies billions of dollars per year.”

Sensefinity CEO Orlando Remédios said “Our technology will help the international shipping industry to overcome cargo damage, which costs a yearly estimate of $6 billion, reducing complaints and lawsuits, and also food waste and carbon emissions. Maritime shipping businesses will grow in a sustainable way, allowing an increase in revenue while caring for the planet.”
 
Shipping companies are heavily investing in smart containers to control cargo, with predictions that, by 2025, 25% of the box fleet will be able to gather data from inside the containers. However, transmitting gathered data in uncovered spots from the middle of the ocean is still an issue. Sateliot’s transmission costs start from less than $1 per device per month. This allows Sensefinity to facilitate its growth, providing shipping and vessel companies the ability to transmit data from smart containers in the middle of the ocean at reduced cost.