Audi and Irish tech firm Cubic Telecom are to deliver high-speed broadband and infotainment to cars throughout Europe
Car giant Audi has forged a partnership with Irish technology firm Cubic Telecom to deliver high-speed broadband and infotainment capabilities to cars throughout Europe.
The agreement will allow Audi drivers to get Europe-wide data plans and infotainment services using an in-car store or the myAudi web portal.
The latest vehicles from Audi, such as the new A4, come with Audi connect Wi-Fi hotspots.
Cubic Telecom has a network of 4G LTE operators in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and Denmark, making it the largest independent mobile network virtual operator (MVNO) active in Europe.
“Cubic Telecom has the most comprehensive and competitive independent options available,” said Marcus Keith, director of development for Audi connect.
“With Cubic, our customers travelling across Europe will be able to have secure and robust high-speed connectivity wherever they drive. This is just the start with more countries to follow.”
Soon, every car will be a connected car
As well as the connected home, cars are the ideal vehicle for the expansion of the internet of things vision and Cubic Telecom is in poll position to deliver this reality.
In May, Audi and chip giant Qualcomm made an €18m investment in Cubic Telecom to put 3G and 4G connectivity in Audi vehicles.
A specialist machine-to-machine (M2M) player, Cubic’s technologies are embedded at the manufacturing stage, enabling enterprise customers to offer always-on connectivity anywhere in the world.
The Dublin-based company is actively working with some of the world’s leading Fortune 100 tablet and notebook manufacturers, including HP and Lenovo, and Australian retail giant Woolworths.
“We are thrilled to partner with Audi to provide its drivers hassle-free in-car connectivity,” said Barry Napier, CEO of Cubic Telecom.
“This partnership is a testament to Cubic Telecom’s ability to rapidly expand connectivity programmes for users across not only Europe but global markets, as our solution can be easily scaled worldwide to comply with customer needs as well as local regulations. We’re excited with what we have on the roadmap.”
Audi image via Shutterstock
