Car-2-X Weekly Brief—1.7.2013

In this week’s Brief: Cisco, NXP Semiconductors, Cohda Wireless, Research in Motion, TomTom, TeleCommunications Systems, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, Qualcomm, Comscore, Frost and Sullivan, Trimble and ALK Technologies

It was a light telematics news week going into International CES 2013 in Las Vegas, where many companies are expected to unveil primary offerings for the new year. Cisco and NXP Semiconductors jumped the gun with an announcement that they each made an investment in Cohda Wireless to advance intelligent transportation systems and car-to-X communications. Cohda Wireless is a specialist in wireless communication for automotive safety applications.

Car-to-Car and Car-to-Infrastructure communications require highly reliable and secure data exchange between fast moving vehicles and infrastructure in a range of conditions – from rural highway to dense urban canyons. NXP and Cohda Wireless have built a market-ready, flexible wireless communication solution for onboard-units based on Cohda’s existing advanced radio and NXP’s market-proven software-defined radio technology.

“We believe that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected, and smarter vehicles are one of the many ways in which we will fully experience the Internet of Everything,” says Maciej Kranz, vice president of the Connected Industries Group at Cisco. “The onboard solution is one element of an end-to-end architecture that integrates with Cisco’s off-board network infrastructure. Our ultimate aim is to bring about a safer, more enjoyable, and more productive travel experience, enabled by the network.”

Research in Motion introduced in beta a new navigation app, BlackBerry Navigator, to Blackberry users in the U.K. TomTom reportedly is powering the app, with vendor TeleCommunications Systems distributing it.

The app includes turn-by-turn spoken directions, 3D map view, local search with Points of Interest, and home screen shortcuts that allow for one-click routing to familiar destinations. The app is currently available for free in the Beta Zone.

The U.S. has GPS. Russia has GLONASS. Now China has the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), a global navigation satellite system opened for public use as of the new year.

The system consists of 16 satellites that span from Australia up to the Asia Pacific rim and plans to expand to cover every corner of the globe by 2014. International navigation providers can harness BDS as of January 1, 2013.

Qualcomm introduced StreamBoost technology, which intelligently manages a home’s broadband connection and gives each device and each application the bandwidth it needs to ensure the best possible experiences in the connected home.

Streamboost routers will be available to consumers this spring at e-commerce and retail outlets in North America, Europe and Asia. Currently, the average home connects up to seven devices to the Internet, and this number is expected to grow considerably in the next five years, including the connection between automobiles and homes.

Smartphone penetration topped 50 percent in Europe by the end of 2012, reaching 54.6 percent in October, according to a new MobiLens report from Comscore. Spain has the highest use of smartphones in Europe; 63.2 percent of the population has a smartphone. The U.K. has the most users by number, with 30.9 million smartphone owners.

Samsung Android phones claimed the most market share in 2012, while Apple iPhones held steady or lost marketshare. The ubiquity of smartphones renews the debate about whether cars should best integrate connectivity through embedded systems or portals that harness smartphones.

The European automotive navigation market will witness a shift towards integration and a continual trend towards low-cost connected navigation, with embedded, aftermarket embedded and PNDs reaching 19.3 million units by 2016, according to a report from Frost and Sullivan.

With smartphone replication technologies, smartphone-based navigation inside cars will dominate the market, serving all car segments, the report finds. eCall in Europe and ERA-GLONASS in Russia, which mandate automated emergency response systems in vehicles, will lead to Europe becoming one of the biggest markets for telematics systems and will offer Tier 1 suppliers and service providers the opportunity to expand their presence.

Trimble acquired privately held ALK Technologies, the routing, mapping, mileage specialist known for software products like CoPilot Live and PC MILER. ALK Technologies offers proprietary routing and international map-based solutions for transportation, logistics and mobile workforces.

Approximately 64 percent of North American for-hire motor carriers use ALK solutions, including 98 of the top 100 largest for-hire carriers, 47 of the top 50 logistics companies and 77 of the top 100 private fleets.

The addition of ALK is expected to extend and complement Trimble’s Transportation and Logistics product portfolio. Financial terms were not disclosed. “The addition of ALK Technologies expands the portfolio and scope of innovative solutions we can offer transportation providers, logistics companies and shippers,” says David Wangler, president of TMW Systems, a Trimble Company.

For exclusive business analysis and insight about telematics applications, see Industry Insight: Telematics and Apps

For all the latest information and trends in V2X and driver safety, visit V2X for Auto Safety and Mobility Europe 2013 on February 20-21 in Frankfurt.

Starting today, check out the Consumer Telematics Show 2013 in Las Vegas, V2X for Auto Safety and Mobility Europe 2013 on February 19-20 in Frankfurt, Telematics for Fleet Management Europe 2013 on March 19-20 in Amsterdam, Insurance Telematics Europe 2013 on May 8-9 in London and Telematics India and South Asia 2013 on June 5-7 in India.

For exclusive telematics business analysis and insight, check out TU’s reports on In-Vehicle Smartphone Integration Report, Human Machine Interface Technologies and Smart Vehicle Technology: The Future of Insurance Telematics.