Anyone who has ever waited for an important delivery knows the frustration of a tracking update that simply says “in transit.” For logistics companies moving high-value goods, this lack of real-time visibility is more than just an annoyance; it is a massive, costly operational blind spot. To address this, U Mobile‘s enterprise division, U Business, has recently partnered with Qualcomm and City-Link Express to complete a highly successful Proof of Concept for tracking high-value air cargo. The initiative leverages a modern 5G-IoT architecture to provide unprecedented transparency across complex supply chains.
Traditionally, tracking an air shipment relies heavily on point-to-point barcode scanning. When a package leaves the City-Link Express Main Hub in Bandar Saujana Putra, Selangor, destined for East Malaysia, it goes through a maze of ground handlers, airport facilities, and airline custody transfers. Because conventional tracking only updates when a barcode is physically scanned, there is extremely limited visibility regarding the handling conditions between those isolated checkpoints. If a high-value shipment is damaged or delayed along the route, logistics providers are forced into time-consuming investigations just to figure out where and when the issue occurred.
The new Proof of Concept fundamentally changes how packages are monitored by moving from passive checkpoints to predictive, Condition-Based Monitoring. During the two-month trial for shipments heading to cargo terminals in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, City-Link Express attached specialised Qualcomm trackers directly to their high-value cargo. Powered by U Business’s bespoke ULTRA IoT connectivity, these devices continuously record a digital audit trail. They capture critical multi-sensor data in real time, monitoring the shipment for sudden shocks, changes in tilt, temperature fluctuations, and unexpected light exposure.
This continuous stream of sensor data is securely transmitted and visualised using the Qualcomm Terrestrial Positioning Service. Because traditional GPS often struggles indoors or inside dense cargo holds, Qualcomm’s positioning technology intelligently uses Wi-Fi and cellular signals, alongside optional Bluetooth Low Energy beacons, to maintain a highly accurate location fix even in challenging signal environments.
The operational gains from this 5G-IoT integration have proven to be incredibly substantial. According to the reported metrics, City-Link Express achieved up to a 90% improvement in shipment location verification. Instead of spending days trying to track down a mishandled package, the operations team can now resolve issues in a matter of hours, frequently identifying exactly which checkpoint caused a handling alert and taking corrective action before the package even reaches its final destination. Furthermore, automated digital logging has reduced the time spent on operational reviews by up to 70%.
Beyond simply locating lost boxes, the technology fundamentally improves accountability across the entire logistics network. The continuous digital sensor records increased City-Link Express’s dispute readiness by up to 50%, providing objective, irrefutable transit data rather than forcing the company to rely on subjective reports from ground handlers. For businesses shipping highly sensitive items like pharmaceuticals, this level of verifiable handling data is absolutely critical. U Mobile Chief Business Officer, How Lih Ren, noted that the encouraging results highlight how the telco is eager to leverage its 5G infrastructure to help Malaysian businesses effectively digitise and scale their operations with total confidence.
