GPS tracking leverages efficient communication and data transmission to turn raw vehicle data into real-time insight. GPS technology determines a vehicle's location, while a cellular network carries that location, along with speed, trip details, driving events, and vehicle health information, to the Bouncie ecosystem. For this kind of communication, 4G LTE is simply the right technology for the job.
5G Would Significantly Raise the Cost of Bouncie
5G-capable cellular chipsets cost substantially more than 4G LTE chipsets. Incorporating 5G into a device like Bouncie would increase the component cost of the hardware by an estimated 30% to 60%, for a capability that delivers no functional improvement in vehicle tracking. Choosing 4G LTE isn't a limitation; it's a deliberate decision to avoid adding cost for technology customers wouldn't benefit from.
5G Offers No Practical Benefit for GPS Tracking
5G was built for data-intensive tasks like streaming video, transferring large files, and running applications that move huge volumes of data quickly. A GPS tracker does none of this. It sends small, simple updates: location, speed, trip events, alerts, and vehicle health. 4G LTE handles this transmission fully and reliably. More bandwidth doesn't make a location update arrive more accurately or more usefully. It simply isn't needed for this kind of data.
4G LTE Coverage is Built for How Vehicles Actually Move
Vehicles travel across cities, highways, and rural areas, not a single fixed location. 4G LTE has broad, established coverage across North America, including many areas where 5G still depends on LTE infrastructure or falls back to it entirely. For a device that needs to maintain a connection everywhere a vehicle goes, 4G LTE is the more dependable network today.
4G LTE is Not Going Away
In North America, 4G LTE networks are expected to remain fully operational and supported well beyond the next decade. Carriers continue to invest in and maintain LTE infrastructure because it remains the backbone for a wide range of connected devices, not just 5G-era applications. A Bouncie device built on 4G LTE is not at risk of losing connectivity or becoming obsolete due to network shutdown.
Bottom Line
Bouncie uses 4G LTE because it's the right tool for the job: fast, reliable, available everywhere a vehicle travels, and priced sensibly. 5G would add cost without adding value and 4G LTE isn't going anywhere.
For a more detailed look at these technologies, check out this blog post: 4G LTE vs 5G GPS Trackers: Why LTE Is the Better Choice