FCA Italy announced today that it has chosen Transatel’s architecture to provide universal 4G connectivity and a comprehensive connectivity management platform in all 28 countries of the EU and EFTA. The solution will also support 5G as soon as the technology becomes available on the automotive market.
Global connectivity will be native to the vehicles, as eSIMs are soldered into the vehicle at first mount. The connectivity will enable users to benefit from an array of services ranging from car-centric telematics applications and Over The Air software updates, to passenger-centric, high-usage data applications such as infotainment and Wi-Fi on board. It will also provide emergency calls to comply with European regulations. These can be generated both by the driver pressing a button and also automatically by the vehicle, in case the air-bags open.
For FCA, the initiative announced today falls under the scope of the new global “ecosystem” for connected vehicles, announced last April, which will improve the online functions of its vehicles all over the world. Indeed, in addition to offering the ideal technical environment for electric vehicles, the platform will also support the full range of services for FCA mobility, including rate-per-kilometre options, insurance policies based on the effective use of the vehicle, short, medium and long-term car rental and peer-to-peer car-sharing solutions.
Transatel started working for FCA group over a year ago, as cellular provider for the on-board telematics unit Mopar Connect.
Gilberto Ceresa, Head of the Global Connectivity Team of FCA and Head of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) of the EMEA region of FCA commented: “The collaboration with Transatel will guarantee that FCA customers can drive their vehicle in all EU28 + EFTA countries, keeping them constantly and seamlessly connected and leveraging, among others, infotainment and road assistance services provided by the connected eco-system that we are developing globally with Samsung/Harman and Google”.
Jacques Bonifay, Transatel CEO, said: “Transatel connects a great variety of ‘objects’: from aircraft, motorcycles, trucks and cranes, through to laptops, tablets, and security cameras. We are thrilled that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles selected Transatel to connect their beautifully designed, trend-setting, and luxurious vehicles, and introduce the on-board Transatel Ubigi WiFi service »