Vodacom, South Africa’s cellular network, together with Tracker and Sierra Wireless [NASDAQ: SWIR - TSX: SW], launched a next generation SIM card for vehicle tracking, based on the inSIM® technology from Sierra Wireless. This new technology will be deployed by Vodacom and will be used by Tracker, South Africa’s leading stolen vehicle recovery and fleet management company. Vodacom provides Tracker with its network services.

The inSIM® embedded SIM component was designed and developed by Wavecom, now part of Sierra Wireless, a provider of wireless solutions for M2M (machine-to-machine) communication and mobile computing.

Sierra Wireless’ inSIM® is a unique solution which embeds the SIM function into the Wireless CPU® at the component level, eliminating the use of the traditional plastic SIM card thus reducing the ability for third parties to tamper with the SIM card.

Wally Beelders, Executive Director of Vodacom Business says, "This is a revolutionary innovation and we’re excited to be the first network operator to have this product commercially available in South Africa. Tracker will also be the first vehicle tracking company to offer Sierra Wireless’ new technology as part of their tracking device".

According to Olivier Beaujard, Vice President of Market Development at Sierra Wireless, the inSIM®-enabled devices are able to operate in extreme temperatures and are resistant to vibration. "Our inSIM solution is a great fit for the vehicle tracking industry as it reduces the chance of the SIM being stolen and used for other purposes, while also reducing the space required for the tracking device, making it smaller and easier to install."

Carel Wessels, Technical Director of Tracker, says the company has already run a series of pilot tests with the solution and it has proved to be an overwhelming success. "Very soon this new technology will be a standard feature on the SkyTrax product. The higher temperature and vibration specifications will make the SkyTrax product even more reliable and allows us to stay ahead regarding the stringent requirements from vehicle manufacturers."

Vodacom says its partnership with Sierra Wireless will allow it to explore a variety of different machine-to-machine and telemetry solution options in the coming months.