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Challenge
A telematics provider managing around 2,000 connected devices across the UK and EU had built its connectivity around a single-network model that wasn't designed for a fleet operating across borders. Devices could be anywhere in either territory at any time, and a single network had no way to adapt to that.
When connectivity dropped, it dropped without warning or explanation. Vehicles went offline, and the business lost the ability to confirm the status of its customers' employees in the field. Fixing it meant logging a ticket and waiting, often sending an engineer out to investigate in the meantime rather than getting a fast answer from the network side.
Security was a further gap. SIMs weren't locked to the devices they served, and the business had already seen the consequences: one customer removed a SIM from its intended device and ran up data usage outside the fleet entirely, with no way to prevent it.
The business needed a way to:
- Keep devices connected wherever they operate across the UK and EU, without depending on a single operator's coverage.
- Get direct, responsive support in place of a ticketing process that slowed down every query.
- Lock SIMs to the devices they're issued to, closing off the kind of misuse that had already cost it data and control.
For a fleet spread across two territories, price wasn't the deciding factor. What mattered was reliability, communication and the ability to manage a growing SIM estate with confidence.
Solution
Cellhire's unsteered multi-network IoT SIMs gave the business connectivity that adapts to where its devices are, rather than tying it to a single operator network. Combined with portal-based control and direct support, it replaced a reactive, ticket-led relationship with one the business could manage on its own terms.
Key elements included:
- Unsteered multi-network connectivity, latching onto whichever available network gives the strongest signal at the device location, across the UK and EU.
- IMEI locking, tying each SIM to its assigned device to prevent removal and reuse elsewhere in the estate.
- Alerts and usage caps, giving the business control over its own bundles and early visibility of unusual usage before it becomes a cost issue.
- Near real-time usage visibility through Cellhire's unified portal, so the team can check status and diagnose issues themselves rather than waiting on a ticket.
- Easy bulk provisioning, with the portal and API in place to bring devices onto the estate without a drawn-out setup process.
- Direct access to a support team with telematics expertise, working with people who understand the sector rather than working from a generic script.
Switching to Cellhire was one of the easiest decisions we've made - costs down, reliability up and far fewer dropped connections across our fleet. The self-service portal means we manage our own estate without waiting on a ticket, and their technical team actually understands telematics.
CEO, Telematics ProviderResult
- No more ticketing queue. Issues are picked up through direct support rather than logged and queued every time something needs attention.
- No more unexplained dropouts. Connectivity issues come with an answer, not a silent loss of signal.
- A SIM estate under control. Near real-time visibility, alerts and caps mean usage is managed proactively rather than discovered after the fact.
- SIM misuse closed down. IMEI locking ties each SIM to its device, removing the gap that had already let one go missing and run up data.
- Easier self-diagnosis. The portal gives the team a way to check and understand issues directly, without depending on a ticket to find out what's wrong.
- Pricing that makes sense. Away from outdated, legacy pricing that didn't reflect the business's growth, with a model that was clearly explained.
- Confidence in the partner behind the connectivity. A team with telematics-specific expertise, rather than a generic connectivity provider.