Cameron Fraser, co-founder and chief technology officer of WebTech Wireless

WebTech Wireless Inc. (TSX-V:WEW) is a global Telematics, location-based services provider that develops, manufactures and delivers turnkey wireless solutions designed to improve productivity and profitability. The company has been at the forefront of automatic vehicle location (AVL) and fleet management for the past decade and currently provides devices and services worldwide in eight languages to more than forty-one countries covering five continents. Approximately one year ago WebTech Wireless became an Iridium Value Added Reseller and in March 2007 announced the introduction of a new intelligent, dual-mode cellular and satellite asset tracking and management solution for the transportation industry. The company featured the new WT1900 satellite modem and fleet management software solution at the 2007 Iridium Partners Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in September.

We spoke with Cameron Fraser, co-founder and chief technology officer of WebTech Wireless, about this exciting market space that is poised for significant growth in the next several years.

Q. Historically what have been some of the challenges of using satellite communications for fleet telematics (i.e., using computers and communications technologies for tracking) and how has that evolved?

A. At WebTech Wireless we’ve been working in the field of automated fleet management since 1999 and during this time have experimented with various existing geosynchronous and low-orbit satellite systems. Unfortunately, these types of systems have traditionally fallen short of our requirements. All have had limitations on message length, experienced transit delay from the vehicle to the office (as much as over an hour), involved high installation costs and complexity, and were subject to gaps in coverage. The Iridium satellite system with its 66 low-earth-orbiting, cross-linked satellites in a fully meshed network eliminates these concerns. Not only does Iridium offer a more streamlined design for lower-cost and easier installation, but it also supports longer messages and, most importantly, provides continuous coverage and reliable data links. This allows us to deliver an unqualified level of service at consistent costs to our customers.

Q. Describe how Iridium satellite services are used as an alternative to cellular service alone and what are the benefits?

A. There are large areas around the world that aren’t covered by a wireless network. The new WT1900 system incorporates Iridium’s 9601 short-burst data modem to offer seamless coverage for long-haul customers. The system uses cellular frequencies when in range of terrestrial wireless networks, and Iridium satellite links in other areas. Customers can choose to postpone low-priority messages or large data transfers to send when in range of cellular service but send high-priority messages at any time via the Iridium satellite network. By combining the cost-effectiveness of cellular with the ubiquitous coverage of Iridium satellite, customers get the least-cost, most reliable routing solution available.

Q. Why have you selected Iridium as your mobile satellite communications provider versus other players in the market?

A. In a nutshell, Iridium meets our technical requirements for message length, design, coverage and reliability. At the same time, Iridium is a market leader with a sound financial basis and a solid roadmap for the future that includes next generation products and services. We’re comfortable working with Iridium because we know that our customers will be able to count on our Iridium-based solutions for many years of service.

Q. What are some of the specific new applications for Iridium in the AVL arena? Can you provide some examples of each?

A. AVL is all about the exchange of data between vehicles and corporate headquarters.  In effect, the vehicle becomes part of the corporate technology infrastructure. We take AVL even further by coupling it with fleet management software solutions so that customers can take that tracking information and manage, monitor and analyze it to make better business decisions. For example, one of the key applications is driver dispatch. Specifically, our solutions are used to provide high priority dispatch information from the office out to the trucks. In turn, the trucks send back driver data to the driver log applications in the office. There are a lot of regulations around driver hours, so being able to monitor driver activity is critical. For this type of application we typically rely on cellular to transmit large amounts of data and satellite for incremental and high-priority data. Another key application is remote worker safety. Our solutions are used to maintain regular communications such as status verification and job completion, and even include a panic button in case of emergency.

Q. Do the opportunities for growth for these applications vary by geography?

A. Yes, there is a difference. The U.S., Canada, Australia and China fall into one category – these are all large countries with vast, unpopulated areas. Even a large part of the continental U.S. doesn’t have cellular coverage. If being always connected is important to your business then Iridium is extremely important to you. Developing countries where no strong cellular network exists, such as areas of the Middle East and Central America, also present opportunities for growth. We are active in all of these markets.

Q. How can companies benefit by adopting a combination of both cellular and satellite technology?

A. There are tremendous benefits to be realized by being able to get the best of both worlds. A solution that combines cellular and satellite provides users with a consistent service level at the lowest possible cost. But to really get maximum value it needs to be an intelligent and automated solution that continuously optimizes which communications network is used based on priority and data characteristics that you, as the customer, can set. We designed our new solution to do just this. For example, if a vehicle is in a remote location the system can determine based on length and priority if data transfer from the vehicle should be sent via cellular later in the day or via the satellite network for immediate delivery.

Q. What do you think the next five to ten years will bring when it comes to advances in AVL or Fleet Management?

A. The penetration of this kind of system into the commercial truck market is only ten to fifteen percent. Over the next five to ten years we expect to see that a majority of vehicles will have these kinds of systems and expect that they will become integrated into vehicles by the manufacturer as opposed to being aftermarket solutions. As companies become aware of, and even dependent on, AVL they will start to demand a consistent level of service and continuous availability of that service. The Iridium satellite network will become an essential component of doing business in this market. We see ourselves developing future versions of Iridium-based products for emerging markets and really envision Iridium and WebTech Wireless everywhere!