BMW signed a five-year deal with Vodafone Germany that will allow all BMW drivers to access in-car services such as BMW Online, a concierge service with emergency call functions. Beginning this summer, all new BMW automobiles in Germany will have the connected car capabilities using a SIM from Vodafone Germany.
Vodafone Germany said that its M2M communications will be part of eCall, the automatic vehicle emergency call system that is being planned by the European Union. From 2015 onwards, all new vehicles will be fitted with a mobile data connection and SIM card that automatically calls the emergency services in the event of an accident.
According to Vodafone Germany, the SIM card will have a lifespan of 10 years and will be integrated into BMW's system as the cars are assembled.
Machina Research recently published a study that predicted that Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and AT&T will lead the global M2M market based on their expected revenue in 2020. By this time, these three operators will together account for 35 per cent of the €25 billion in M2M revenues being gained by the top 20 mobile operators, the report said.
For more:
- see this Vodafone release
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