BlackBerry Enters Crowded Cargo Monitoring Market
BlackBerry found a customer for its fleet-tracking device, taking a first step into the crowded market for monitoring cargo trucks and trains.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company will install 500 units of the BlackBerry Radar on trailers owned by Oakville, Ontario-based trucker Caravan Group.
The Radar is a box that sticks on the back of a tractor-trailer container and frequently updates its owner on the trailer’s temperature, location and whether the door is open or closed.
A spokeswoman for BlackBerry declined to say what the deal was worth.
Radar is part of CEO John Chen’s campaign to find ways to apply the company’s existing patents and expertise to new industries.
Still, the market is crowded with well-established companies such as Orbcomm Inc. and Fleetmatics Group. Telecom giant Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to buy Fleetmatics last month for $2.4 billion.
