U Business, Qualcomm, and City-Link Express Boost Shipment Location Verification Speed by Up to 90%, Allowing Quick Incident Resolution in 5G-IoT High-Value Air Cargo Tracking PoC

U Mobile’s business division, U Business, recently finished a Proof of Concept (PoC) for tracking valuable air cargo with Qualcomm and City-Link Express. They used a 5G-IoT setup and Qualcomm Terrestrial Positioning Service (TPS) to improve tracking through its IoT network.

In this project, U Business provided its ULTRA IoT connectivity, a custom solution for businesses, and integrated Qualcomm’s positioning technology into City-Link Express’ logistics process.

The PoC was needed because sending air cargo from City-Link Express’s Main Hub in Bandar Saujana Putra, Selangor to East Malaysia requires multiple handoffs at different points like airports and airlines. Traditional tracking methods typically rely on barcode scanning for updates, which gives limited information about handling conditions in between scans. When there are issues like damage or delays, logistics providers often spend a lot of time figuring out what went wrong.

The goal of the PoC was to show that using a 5G-IoT setup with asset tracking could speed up shipment checks and improve problem resolution in real-world situations. During the PoC, Qualcomm trackers were attached to City-Link Express’s valuable shipments to monitor their location and conditions like shock, tilt, temperature, and light exposure in real time. This solution allowed for continuous cargo tracking, automated time-stamping, and secure data transfer via ULTRA IoT connectivity. Data from Qualcomm’s trackers was shown on Qualcomm® TPS, which provides precise positioning using Wi-Fi and cellular signals, with optional Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons for reliable location tracking in tough signal areas.

The PoC was carried out over two months for selected high-value air shipments going from City-Link Express’s Main Hub in Bandar Saujana Putra, Selangor to cargo terminals in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

Key Improvement Areas	Metrics
Rapid Incident Response	Shipment location verification improved by up to 90%, reducing resolution time from days to hours. When alerts flagged potential handling issues, operations teams could immediately identify the checkpoint and take corrective action before shipments reached final delivery.
Enhanced Accountability	Digital sensor records increased dispute readiness by up to 50%. Instead of relying on subjective handler reports, City-Link now has objective data showing exact conditions throughout transit—critical for high-value shipments like pharmaceuticals.
Operational Efficiencies	Automated logging and GPS trails reduced operational review time by up to 70%. The reusable tracker design also lowered per-shipment costs compared to traditional single-use monitoring solutions.
Improved Planning	Up to 30% improvement in data accuracy enables better route optimisation and proactive capacity planning based on actual performance patterns rather than estimates.

“U Business, as the enterprise arm of U Mobile, is always seeking to fully leverage our 5G infrastructure and solutions to support the digital ambitions of Malaysia’s businesses. In this particular instance, we are delighted to partner with Qualcomm and City-Link Express on a PoC that aims to increase productivity and accuracy in the shipment of high-value air cargo through the use of 5G and IoT. The results have been encouraging, with shipment location verification improving by up to 90% and operational review time reduced by up to 70%,” said How Lih Ren, Chief Business Officer of U Mobile. He added, “U Mobile is always keen to go beyond our 5G connectivity to also leverage our U Business solutions to help businesses digitise and scale with confidence.”

“Qualcomm supported this Proof of Concept as a technology enablement partner through Qualcomm TPS, a service that delivers precise indoor and outdoor low-power positioning across complex logistics signal environments. Qualcomm TPS is designed to enable partners to develop and deploy solutions that improve device location and observability, enhancing insights throughout supply chains and beyond,” said ST Liew, Vice President of Qualcomm Technologies and President of Qualcomm Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

“At City-Link Express, we are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance our service reliability and operational transparency. This collaboration with U Business and Qualcomm has been a game-changer for our high-value air cargo operations. The trackers provided us with unprecedented real-time visibility and objective data that we simply didn’t have with conventional scanning. We have had a very positive response to the trackers’ performance; they allowed us to reduce shipment verification time by up to 90%, transforming how we resolve incidents and ensuring our customers’ high-value assets are handled with the highest level of accountability,” said Colin Tan, Business Development Senior Manager of City-Link Express.