Verizon Connect helping fleet customers migrate to 4G
Verizon Communications Inc. (Verizon)’s connected vehicle division, Verizon Connect, has announced that it is helping its fleet customers migrate their legacy vehicle tracking units to 4G.
Verizon has publicly stated since 2016 that it is actively decommissioning its 3G CDMA network. The company initially announced that it would shut off its 3G network in 2019, but extended the date to the end of 2020 and later to the end of 2022. Verizon said on March 30 less than 1% of its customers were still using its 3G network. Verizon Connect’s fleet customers are among them.
Customers that have transitioned to 4G are already finding business success, said Verizon Connect in a press release on Tuesday.
Naming Odessa, Texas-based KRP Rentals and Trucking, an equipment rental company in the oil and gas industry, the division said the customer recently upgraded its Verizon Connect Reveal units to 4G and was already experiencing the advantages.
Kris Poole, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) director at KRP, said, “I am getting faster response times on the pinging, and we’re getting more accurate data about where our assets are.”
Peter Mitchell, senior vice president and general manager at Verizon Connect, stated, “Verizon Connect is uniquely positioned to help fleet customers reduce disruption, with decades of experience in network migrations. Verizon Connect provides what customers need for a smooth transition, from project management resources to the sheer number of people dedicated to supporting customers through this migration. We’re there to help maximize uptime and keep customers on the road.”
The division is encouraging customers who still have a 3G device to make a change as soon as possible.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says in its guide that was last updated/reviewed on May 4, 2021 that 43.7 million mobile device users are only able to use 3G service. The Fox Business article that the FCC guide links to as the source says the number is 47.3 million, however. (I have brought it to the FCC’s notice on Twitter).
