Smartphone on the move was doing 195 Mbps
Swisscom claims that it has converted a BMW into the world’s first 5G car, the BMW iX, with the full co-operation of the German car maker. With the BMW iX, the BMW Group is the first premium manufacturer to bring the 5G mobile communications standard to a globally available production vehicle. To match this achievement, Swisscom said in a release, it is offering the first 5G option for a vehicle anywhere in Switzerland. In a move that might horrify motoring purists, Swisscom described the luxury saloon as “a smartphone on the move”.
The car uses its embedded SIM (eSIM) and an integrated 5G Wi-Fi hotspot to link instinctively to Swisscom’s mobile network via an external antenna. This gives passengers, and in certain circumstances the driver, license to make calls, send messages and surf the internet inside the car without need of a handset because, effectively, the car is a phone on wheels. Dirk Wierzbitzki, Swisscom’s head of residential customers and member of the executive board, said this achievement places Swisscom among the world’s top five comms service providers worldwide. “[Swisscom is] right at the forefront [of helping] customers take advantage of the opportunities offered by the connected world,” said Wierzbitzki.
For an extra for 10 Swiss Francs (€10.2) per month Swisscom customers can link the vehicle to their existing blue Mobile or NATEL go mobile comms contract. This can be done via eSIM through the Multi Device option Cars & Mobilities. The eSIM connects directly to the Swisscom mobile network via the vehicle’s external antenna. In addition to making calls without your phone, there is a “follow-me” function that covers situations where the vehicle is changed or a rental vehicle is used.
“We are on our way into the 5G era,” said Paul de Courtois, President & CEO of BMW Switzerland.