SIM Cards for Tracking & Telematics: Data, Costs & Calculator

Managed SIM connectivity for tracking and telematics

Connect moving vehicles and assets to their tracking platforms using a shared monthly data pool. The fleet can contain devices with different reporting patterns; size the allowance around the combined traffic and check network support along the routes travelled.

Shared data and contract options

Seneca’s fleet planner provides indicative pricing for multi-network SIMs sharing a monthly data pool, with PAYG and 24-month options. Check coverage, device compatibility, usage limits and final terms before activation. Onboarding is additional.

SIM cards for Vehicle tracking

A vehicle tracker sends location and status information to a tracking platform. Reporting intervals may change when the vehicle moves or parks.

Data requirements for Vehicle tracking

Model moving and parked reporting separately if they differ. Confirm supported networks and countries for the routes used.

Worked data and cost example

Illustrative usage: 10 SIMs, each transmitting a 2 KB record every 1 minute over 30 days. Add 0.005 GB per SIM for other traffic and 20% spare capacity. The resulting fleet data budget is 1.097 GB. A 1.5 GB shared pool for this fleet is priced by the fleet planner at £43.46 monthly on PAYG or £21.60 monthly on a 24-month term including VAT.

SIM cards for Fleet telematics

Telematics systems can transmit vehicle status, mileage and diagnostic readings alongside location. Video telematics requires a separate allowance for footage. This example assumes periodic status and diagnostic summaries every few minutes; frequent CAN-bus records, high-rate sampling or remote maintenance transfers more.

Data requirements for Fleet telematics

Use the measured transmitted size of complete records. Include platform heartbeats, diagnostic downloads and firmware updates.

Worked data and cost example

Illustrative usage: 10 SIMs, each transmitting a 5 KB record every 5 minutes over 30 days. Add 0.005 GB per SIM for other traffic and 20% spare capacity. The resulting fleet data budget is 0.578 GB. A 1 GB shared pool for this fleet is priced by the fleet planner at £41.58 monthly on PAYG or £21.60 monthly on a 24-month term including VAT.

SIM cards for Trailer tracking

Trailer trackers report asset position and movement even when the trailer is separated from a tractor unit. Battery-powered units may report less frequently while stationary.

Data requirements for Trailer tracking

Check wake-up behaviour, reporting frequency and roaming needs. More frequent updates affect both mobile traffic and battery demand.

Worked data and cost example

Illustrative usage: 10 SIMs, each transmitting a 1 KB record every 15 minutes over 30 days. Add 0.005 GB per SIM for other traffic and 20% spare capacity. The resulting fleet data budget is 0.095 GB. A 0.5 GB shared pool for this fleet is priced by the fleet planner at £39.68 monthly on PAYG or £21.60 monthly on a 24-month term including VAT.

SIM cards for Shipping-container tracking

A container tracker can report position and condition when mobile connectivity is available along the route.

Data requirements for Shipping-container tracking

Check permitted countries and roaming networks. Mobile service availability can vary between ports, inland routes and time at sea.

Worked data and cost example

Illustrative usage: 10 SIMs, each transmitting a 2 KB record every 30 minutes over 30 days. Add 0.005 GB per SIM for other traffic and 20% spare capacity. The resulting fleet data budget is 0.095 GB. A 0.5 GB shared pool for this fleet is priced by the fleet planner at £39.68 monthly on PAYG or £21.60 monthly on a 24-month term including VAT.

SIM cards for Refrigerated delivery monitoring

Temperature and location reports help operators monitor refrigerated deliveries and investigate excursions. Alarm records may be transmitted between scheduled readings.

Data requirements for Refrigerated delivery monitoring

Budget alert bursts and stored-record uploads after loss of coverage. Validate sensor accuracy and the platform’s handling of missing readings.

Worked data and cost example

Illustrative usage: 10 SIMs, each transmitting a 3 KB record every 5 minutes over 30 days. Add 0.005 GB per SIM for other traffic and 20% spare capacity. The resulting fleet data budget is 0.371 GB. A 0.5 GB shared pool for this fleet is priced by the fleet planner at £39.68 monthly on PAYG or £21.60 monthly on a 24-month term including VAT.

SIM plan pricing and worked fleet examples

Seneca’s fleet planner uses a shared data pool that resets monthly. The examples below are produced by the same pricing engine as Seneca’s live fleet planner (checked 5 October 2026); they are indicative, not guaranteed tariffs for every configuration.

PAYG is displayed as monthly rolling with 30 days’ notice. The 24-month option is a commitment; where the planner shows price on application, request a quote. The planner lists additional usage at £4 per GB including VAT and notes that onboarding is additional.

PAYG examples also show a one-off SIM card charge; the 24-month option shows the SIM card included. The monthly table excludes one-off charges. Verify current pricing, coverage, usage limits and order-form terms in the Seneca fleet planner before activation.

How the data estimate is calculated

Video, reports and monthly application traffic

Video is estimated at 0.45 GB per hour for each 1 Mbps transmitted stream. Reporting traffic uses transmitted KB per record × reports per day × days ÷ 1,000,000 to give decimal GB. Router and media-download scenarios use a monthly GB estimate entered by you. These models assume the selected pattern is consistent during the month.

Spare capacity and real usage

Add maintenance, heartbeats, reconnects and updates as other traffic. Spare capacity increases the recommended data budget. Use transmitted record sizes rather than payload-only sizes where possible, and validate the estimate against a pilot or router usage records. Motion clips are capped at 24 hours per camera per day; remote viewing is counted separately. Continuous cloud mode assumes viewing happens through the cloud and does not create another SIM stream.

Plan your tracking & telematics SIM service

Confirm equipment and operating requirements

Send the tracker models, SIM count, reporting frequency and transmitted record size. Include countries travelled, whether devices send stored records after losing coverage, and any diagnostics or video that uses the same connection.

Choose the data pool and contract term

Use the calculator to estimate combined traffic, including other data and spare capacity. Check current plan prices in Seneca’s fleet planner and compare the term that suits your deployment. The calculator’s annual figure covers 12 months of running cost; it does not represent the total commitment of a 24-month contract.

Confirm activation and one-off costs

Request confirmation of onboarding, SIM card charges, supported coverage and any platform or remote-access requirements. Hardware, installation, monitoring subscriptions and specialist communication functions are not included in the running-cost estimates shown here.

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