Bright Box is a global company that connects vehicles already on the road with their users and various organisations, such as car manufacturers, importers, dealerships and even car part manufacturers. For instance, in Europe, Bright Box uses POST SIM cards to ensure the transmission of data between each car and its data processing cloud platform.

Bright Box specialises in adding value to real-time data by connecting vehicles that are already on the road with many different players. “We develop Connected Car solutions using our cloud platform. Our solutions help automotive companies to transform the way users, dealers, manufacturers or domestic importers interact,” explains Denis Rastorguev, Managing Director Europe, Bright Box. The company currently connects many vehicles around the world, with offices located from Europe to the United States, the Middle East, CIS and Hong Kong. It offers various solutions that rely on its platform, which is known as Remoto. “We are a B2B company. Our platform gives manufacturers and dealers access to useful information but also enables them to offer value-added services to their customers,” says Denis Rastorguev. “We offer each of them a wide range of solutions that are adapted according to their specific needs. ”

Denis Rastorguev, Managing Director Europe, Bright Box

Connected vehicles, value-added data

The OBD dongle – produced by Bright Box – equipped with a small part that has a SIM card is connecting to the ODB port of each vehicle. This connector – also known as a diagnostic socket – is where the vehicle information can be accessed. The information is then transferred in real time to the Bright Box cloud platform and then processed to provide value-added information to the client or directly to the end user, via a customized application. “Various types of data can be collected. The main indicators that we process are relating to the ignition, speed, mileage, status of the doors and windows, battery voltage, for example,” explains Denis Rastorguev. “Other parameters such as acceleration, braking or the average speed also allow us to determine the user’s driving behaviour and to offer advice on how it can be improved. By using other sensors, it is also possible to determine if someone touches or damages the car when it is parked. The user will be notified on the happenings via the application. Furthermore, large dealerships can also leverage on the Inventory and Fleet Management solution.”

International connectivity

Bright Box has partnered with POST to connect cars with the platform. So, it is the Luxembourg operator’s SIM cards that are embedded in the hardware component in most vehicles in Europe and some other parts of the world. “It is extremely important for us to be able to guarantee permanent connectivity, wherever our clients’ vehicles are. That is why we cannot rely on just one operator in one country. The advantage of POST is that it has many roaming partnerships with various operators in Europe and around the world, and is therefore able to offer a far-reaching solution. With just one SIM card, we can track all the vehicles connected to our platform anywhere in Europe,” says Denis Rastorguev.

Guaranteed level of service

Another major concern for Bright Box was the partner operator’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to all requests. “We are committed to offering our clients a guaranteed level of service through Service Level Agreements (SLAs). It was very important for us that our partner was able to respond quickly to technical problems,” explains the Managing Director. “POST is always available and has proven to be by our side at all times. ”

By providing detailed reports on each client’s usage, POST gives Bright Box a deep insight into the structure of its costs related to data transmission and to better envisage future developments.

Easier deployment

POST is assisting Bright Box with its latest developments, by trying to offer it M2M/IoT solutions catered to its needs.

For all new projects or deployments in a new area, the company will first determine the type of network connectivity on which it will be used. “In Europe, our solutions generally use 2G or 4G networks,” says Denis Rastorguev. “We then contact our contact person at POST to discuss the area to be covered and the potential roaming partners. If necessary, we carry out tests with a few SIM cards to ensure that the solution works. And sometimes we may ask POST to make adjustments. Once everything is ready, we can then roll out the solution. ”

Flexible options

Once the solution is implemented, POST assists with the operational management. It is easy to link each SIM card to a particular client. “Activating it will automatically launch the most suitable package for the user, based on the geographic area where he/she is required to drive, as it is a realistic use case to move from one country to another,” adds Denis Rastorguev. “The various options offer great flexibility and allow us to easily respond to the specific needs of our clients and their users. ”

At present, Bright Box continues to expand, building on its cloud platform using POST SIM cards, at least throughout the European continent and the United States. In the future, the company plans to offer value-added solutions for fleet managers, for example, to locate vehicles.

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