General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Renault Nissan, Scania and Volvo Cars have thrown their weight behind the GSMA’s embedded SIM specification for connected cars, boosting operators’ involvement in the sector.
By using the spec, the car manufacturers will be able to connect their vehicles with local operators, regardless of where the cars are made. The cars can then use the cellular network to receive the likes of infotainment, real-time mapping, insurance and breakdown services.
Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA, said: “The GSMA Embedded SIM Specification has progressed from the first availability of commercial solutions to industry adoption in a very short space of time. The automotive sector is set for huge growth and it is clear that a common, global standard will help mobile operators to provide scalable, reliable and secure connectivity to vehicles regardless of location.
“This approach will help car manufacturers offer any type of in-car connected service through a single SIM, which can be provisioned with the profile of a mobile operator once the car is shipped, as well as at the end of a contract, without the SIM needing to be changed.”
At least 22 operators have launched connected car solutions based on the embedded SIM specification, including KPN, Swisscom, Telenor and TIM.
According to research from Gartner, one in five vehicles will have some element of wireless connectivity by 2020.
Separate research from Machina Research said the number of connected car connections will grow from 182 million in 2015 to 693 million in 2020, a CAGR of 31 percent.