SkyWave And Garmin Rev up Remote Communications For Transportation Industry

^[1]SkyWave Mobile Communications ^[1], an Ottawa-based provider of satellite based communications for the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) market, has announced the availability of the SkyWave Garmin FMI ^[2] (Fleet Management Interface) Solution.  Designed to provide a trustworthy connection between driver and dispatch, the solution enables integrated vehicle tracking, navigation, driver communication and dispatch capabilities regardless of cellular service availability.

“By integrating Garmin’s industry standard interface with SkyWave’s IsatData Pro (IDP) terminals, any business with a fleet of vehicles can deploy a reliable communication solution, even in areas without cellular coverage,” said Chad Sallman, Senior Business Development Manager, Commercial Fleet Management Solutions at Garmin. In addition, the SkyWave Garmin integration optimizes the amount of information sent over the satellite network, resulting in lower airtime costs. ^[3]

The SkyWave Garmin FMI Solution combines the two companies’ industry leading technologies. Garmin’s PND device, in addition to navigation, provides messaging and workflow functionality via its proven, intuitive user interface. SkyWave’s IDP intelligent terminals optimize the transactions transfer between the Garmin device and the IsatData Pro satellite network and/or cellular communications providing ubiquitous and reliable communications.

• Custom forms can be completed on Garmin and sent to dispatch
• Two-way ‘canned’ messages are available in various languages
• Messaging of up to 2,000 bytes can be sent from dispatch to driver
• Configuration, alerts and driver identification parameters can be preloaded onto the device and can easily be updated over the air
• HOS records completion and communication to a back-office application

“Our objectives when designing the SkyWave Garmin FMI Solution included providing the ability to deploy the solution quickly, to reduce costs and provide complete coverage without the need for custom-built data terminals,” explained Sue Rutherford, Director of Marketing at SkyWave.  “The SkyWave Garmin Solution simplifies the task of adding comprehensive in-vehicle communication to a fleet management solution.”