Vodacom, Mafube launch car tracking device

By Matṧeliso Phulane

Telecommunications company Vodacom Lesotho in collaboration with Mafube ICT Solutions have introduced a ground breaking car tracking solution that includes Wi-Fi hotspot services this week.

This revolutionary product, dubbed Connected Car is the first of its kind in Lesotho. It aims to provide safety, peace of mind, convenience, and connectivity for vehicle owners.

Moving further into a digital future as per its slogan ‘Further Together’ Vodacom, Lesotho continues to be a leading telecommunication network that is on a journey to create, build as well as promote a digital society and digital economy.

Connected Car stands out for its innovative tracking technology that utilizes state-of-the-art tools to offer real-time monitoring and tracking of vehicles.

The key highlights of this production include services for recovering stolen vehicles, insurance certification upon installation, alert for detecting signal jamming, a safety feature for impact detection, notification for battery disconnection, access through the web and app, real time tracking and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Providing in-depth details of the new product, Vodacom Lesotho manager – enterprise product and services – Tlhaku Mokhethi said the problems they are trying to solve through Connected Car include car theft, fleet managers’ problems such as fuel, vehicle management, maintenance.

Mokhethi highlighted the figures of vehicle theft in the country as provided by the bureau of statistics.

“According to a report that was issued by the bureau of statistics in 2022, there were 175 vehicles theft while the internal car theft was at 458. That is the problem we want to root out through this product.  

“In order for a business to operate well, there are logistics, cars and associated costs to manage those assets. Some of the highest costs fleet managers come across are vehicle costs, vehicle management and insurance as well as premiums.

“With this new product fleet managers can now implement policies and strategies within their organisations to ensure that these assets are used properly,” Mokhethi said.

Mokhethi added that with the help of a module called telematics, fleet managers can now monitor the long-distance data transmission of a vehicle.

The module, he said, uses telecommunications-enabled devices to store, send and receive information from the car and access the location of every vehicle it is connected to. To access such information, users should download the App on their mobile phone on either Andriod or iPhone.

Mokhethi added that Connected Car is also going to be beneficial to non-government organisations (NGOs), especially those operating in the field to collect data, as they would be connected on Wi-Fi at all times.

He further noted that the benefits associated with this product include internet connectivity, whereby 15 passengers will be connected to the internet in the vehicle to continue doing their work, or even create content on social media if it is for a leisure drive.

“This product works through three distinct packages, namely V6, V8 and V12, each featuring exclusive features and different data allowances for Wi-Fi usage. Whether you are a light user or someone who uses more data, there is a package to cater for your needs.

At the same occasion, an entrepreneur who provides luxury car rentals to government ministries and NGOs, and a beneficiary of the product, Tanki Pule said he got excited when Vodacom Lesotho approached him to test the new product on his cars.

Pule noted before the product, he was struggling to provide internet connectivity services in his cars. He said the Connected Car product made his work easier, since he used to have small routers which would go off and require charging while Connected Car does not require that, but allows real-time connectivity.

“I bought their product after realising that it is relevant to my business operations. We have quite a number local entrepreneurs renting out vehicles but what stands out is what sets one different from his or her competitors.

“My advantage is that apart from the fact that I rent out quality vehicles, there is also accessibility to Wi-Fi from Vodacom Lesotho.

“I would like to thank Vodacom Lesotho for introducing this product,” Pule said.

He added that at first the product used to be read in miles so he asked it to be changed to kilometres, and anyone who will be using the product will see that it has changed.

Mafube ICT Solutions has teamed up with world class ICT companies to provide the complete spectrum of services in digitalization and ICT.  It offers comprehensive protection to enterprises that include identity and access management, infrastructure protection, data protection, thread and vulnerability management, vehicle tracking and recovering and asset tracking and recovery.