Connected fleets: Supporting utility field workers with the right technology

As utilities continue to adopt modern technologies to support the delivery of services and meet their customers’ requirements, there’s also a need to look at how technology can help overcome challenges in the field.

Field workers who are out working to fix critical infrastructure and systems often face productivity and safety challenges. For example, crews that are trying to resolve a power outage or a service interruption after natural disasters like the recent floods in New South Wales need to do so as quickly as possible to meet restoration service level agreements (SLAs) while also ensuring crew members’ personal safety.

While having access to the right technology around the clock can make all the difference for field workers, productivity is dependent upon that technology being accessible and reliable. With that in mind, as more technology finds its way into worker vehicles — from cell phones and two-way radios to mounted laptops — utilities need to take a closer look at how they are supporting connectivity on service vehicles.

In-vehicle connectivity

Whether they’re replacing high-voltage lines, performing repairs, or installing transformers and underground cables, workers need access to a myriad of corporate applications and devices that are used in service trucks and vans, which rely on a dependable network connection that’s on par with a well-connected office, no matter the vehicle’s location. At times this can be difficult — for example, workers who are servicing remote areas where there might not be steady cellular service could find themselves without a connection.

This scenario is common in parts of Australia, with some utilities organisations opting to use a combined cellular and satellite solution.

In South Australia, SA Power Networks is using in-vehicle Ericsson 5G and satellite connectivity, which provides time-saving live status updates to improve customer service. The solution includes Cradlepoint NetCloud, which is used to manage Cradlepoint R1900 and R920 ruggedised routers. Using Starlink LEO satellite as the primary connection due to the remote locations where maintenance work takes place, SA Power Networks service vehicles can failover to cellular connectivity where satellite connections are poor.

Technology built for the field

To withstand extreme temperatures and weather conditions, utilities service providers need ruggedised routers. These are built to continue working even in extremely high and low temperatures, with the ability to withstand intense amounts of humidity, movement/shock, dust, and water splash. Offering high performance roof-mounted antennas, a utilities vehicle fleet can achieve secure, reliable, and versatile cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity — both inside and outside of vehicles — that can also be easily managed by the IT team.

Which comes first — cellular or satellite?

The combination of cellular and satellite connectivity for field workers provides options for how and when each type of connectivity solution is used. A utility’s fleet can use ruggedised routers for satellite connectivity as its primary WAN connection, ensuring crews in remote areas can connect when and where they need to. However, if degraded satellite performance is detected by the router, or if there is another issue affecting the signal, service vehicle networks can fail over to a cellular connection to ensure uninterrupted connectivity. For other companies, the inverse could be true. While servicing areas with good cellular coverage, the routers primarily connect to the 5G network. However, failover to satellite can support them when they lose 5G connectivity in remote locations.

Reliable and constant network uptime for field crews enables just some of the following:

• More digital tasks can be completed, and on-site decisions made
• Travel time and the use of cell phones as hot spots is reduced or eliminated
• Customer restoration times are sped up
• Contact with field crews in remote areas is more reliable, ensuring their safety

Wireless-to-wireless failover

The ability to connect to two carriers at the same time is the only way to provide true wireless-to-wireless — or cellular-to-cellular — failover. The automatic switch from one carrier to another occurs almost instantaneously, making a dual modem router particularly beneficial for those driving connected vehicles that travel in and out of coverage areas

Beyond the router

In addition to the right hardware and devices to empower workers, another imperative consideration when looking at a connected fleet solution is management and network support. In particular, utilities should look for technology providers that offer cloud-based network management platforms and portals, which can seamlessly support IT teams and empower them to be more efficient. For example, through a portal, they could push out firmware updates across the entire fleet at once, as opposed to doing this manually, one vehicle at a time.

These tools also offer the ability to monitor dashboards, create detailed reports, and even quickly diagnose a tech issue — and resolve it — from anywhere. While on call in remote locations, Australian utilities company Icon Water’s field support teams rely on push-to-talk radios, but these devices have been experiencing frequent downtime leading to poor communication and operational inefficiencies. Dated technology was preventing patrol workers from consistently accessing their most important digital tools — including connected laptops, tablets, and phones — in and around their vehicles. Icon Water worked with their partner, Vertel, who deployed Ericsson Cradlepoint routers in Icon Water’s vehicle fleet and designed a fully integrated, end-to-end communication system that includes mobile broadcast platforms, satellite links, and advanced group communication tools.

Icon Water’s IT team saves a lot of time by remotely monitoring and managing network uptime and performance from anywhere through Ericsson NetCloud Manager. This is essential for a company with more than 100 vehicles and dozens of field representatives out in remote Australian areas. Ericsson’s smart routing solution onboard the vehicles is able to check the performance of both the connected 4G/5G mobile carrier network and the LEO satellite network, using multiple criteria. When the performance of the primary network drops below the specified criteria, the smart router will analyse the performance of all available networks and automatically switch to the best performing network, with regular rechecking of all network performance.

Wireless connectivity is at the heart of empowering utility field crew workers with the right support they need to do their jobs quickly, effectively, and safely. Finding a partner who will understand your pain points and be able to offer a solution that will not only improve your current situation, but prepare your fleet for the future, is the best first step.

Image credit: iStock.com/pixdeluxe