Mobility technology and fleet management company GoMetro has launched disposable Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) stickers for companies and individuals to track their goods.

GoMetro Internet of Things (IoT) head Francois Snyders says the stickers are designed to provide a simple, cost-effective way to add visibility to parcels, pallets and shipments moving through a logistics network.

The sticker has no SIM card, GPS, or any cellular connectivity, and requires no complicated installation – just cut the activation tab to activate the battery, remove the tracking sticker from its backing, apply, and track.

Snyders says BLE tracking stickers offer a practical way to extend visibility to individual goods without the complexity of traditional tracking hardware.

He believes it is ideal for high-volume and one-way logistics where retrieving tracking hardware isn’t practical.

But how does the sticker actually work if it has no SIM card or GPS?

“The sticker has a battery – a tiny, eco-friendly, airplane-safe zinc-manganese cell that weighs four grams, is less than a millimetre thick, and lasts about 40 days,” explains Snyders.

“However, without a GPS or SIM card, or any cellular connectivity, it can’t figure out where it is on its own. So, what it does is broadcast a small Bluetooth low-energy signal every few seconds.

“Think of this as a digital heartbeat. Every modern smartphone with Apple’s Find My or Google’s Find My Device enabled is passively scanning for these signals in the background.

“When someone’s phone comes within range of the sticker – typically 10 m to 30 m indoors, up to 70 m in open air – the phone picks up the signal, notes its own GPS coordinates at that moment, and anonymously uploads that detection to the cloud.

“The sticker owner then sees the reported location on their dashboard,” says Snyders.

“The sticker never knows where it is,” he reiterates. “The phone does all the positioning and data transmission. The sticker just broadcasts and hopes someone’s listening.”

Snyders says this means that the sticker is dependent on nearby smartphones to provide location updates.

“In a busy urban environment – a logistics hub, an airport, a shopping centre – detection is frequent and reliable.

“However, in a remote rural area with no foot traffic, the sticker will broadcast perfectly, but nobody will hear it until someone with a phone passes by.

“This means it is not a substitute for a GPS cellular tracker in every scenario but, in the right environment, it’s remarkably effective for what it costs.”

Snyders says the underlying technology – BLE crowd-sourced positioning – is not new. It is the same fundamental principle that powers Apple AirTags, Samsung SmartTags, and Tile trackers.

Further, global crowd-sourced networks (Apple Find My and Google Find My Device) have been operating for several years, leveraging billions of smartphones worldwide to achieve their goal.

“What we have done is source a well- engineered implementation of this technology in a disposable sticker form, and integrate it into our existing fleet and asset management platform, GoMetro Bridge,” says Snyders.

“Our clients do not need a separate app or a separate login – the sticker data appears alongside their vehicle tracking all in one place.”

Snyders says the sticker is one of several Bluetooth tracking products GoMetro has been evaluating.

“We are actively importing units with different Bluetooth chipsets and form factors to benchmark performance across our use cases. This particular product has performed well in our testing and is the first we have brought to market here.”

“Importantly, we have obtained Independent Communications Authority of South Africa-type approval certification for this device, which means it’s been formally assessed and approved for use on South African radio frequency spectrum,” he adds.

“That’s a regulatory step that not every imported IoT device goes through, and it matters for commercial-scale deployments.”

Snyders says individuals can use the stickers – you peel the backing, tear the activation tab, stick it on whatever you want to track, and pair it through the app.

“There is no subscription, no SIM card to activate, no technical setup.

“That said, GoMetro’s go-to-market focus is on commercial and logistics operators rather than retail consumers.

“The real power of this product shows up at scale – when you’re sticking one on every pallet in a shipment, every crate leaving a warehouse, every high-value package in a batch. “That’s where the economics and the operational visibility become compelling.”

Snyders says GoMetro’s ideal clients are logistics operators that move high volumes of goods and currently have no visibility below the vehicle level.

“They know where their truck is, but they have no idea which of the 150 pallets on that truck actually arrived at the destination.

“Specifically – third-party logistics providers, e-commerce fulfilment companies, pharmaceutical distributors which need chain-of-custody evidence, courier and parcel delivery services, and any business that ships goods on shared transport where individual consignment tracking matters.

“We are also seeing interest from businesses that manage reusable assets – crates, containers, trolleys, pallets – that circulate between locations and have a habit of disappearing.

“The sticker gives them a low-cost way to audit where their assets actually are, without investing in expensive GPS trackers for every single unit.”

Snyders says potential savings come in three places.

“Firstly, reduced asset loss.

“Secondly, reduced disputes and claims about whether shipments have been received.

“Thirdly, operational efficiency. Instead of manually scanning every parcel at every checkpoint, the stickers provide passive visibility.”