AT&T Expands Connected Car, Home Automation Relationships at MWC

February 23, 2016 |Connected Car

AT&T made a series of announcements at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Monday covering the connected car and home automation businesses. The carrier entered a multiyear agreement with its 10th automaker, Porsche, for wireless 4G LTE connectivity in select Boxster, Macan and 911 models, it said. AT&T-powered Porsche Connect Plus services are available standard or as an option and will include a Wi-Fi hot spot, navigation, news, weather alerts and additional infotainment services, AT&T said. Audi expanded its connected car relationship with AT&T for 2017-2018, covering Wi-Fi and connected safety, security and infotainment services, including remote lock/unlock, stolen vehicle locator, online roadside assistance and service requests, AT&T said. With Vodafone, AT&T is supporting the debut of OnStar service for Opel and Vauxhall OnStar in select European countries, it said. OnStar’s Wi-Fi 4G LTE service, enabled by Vodafone in Europe, is offered in all new Opel and Vauxhall passenger vehicles, and is available in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.K. The vehicles' mobile hot spot supports up to seven mobile devices, AT&T said. Samsung announced AT&T as the first wireless provider of its connected car service, Samsung Connect Auto, in the U.S. The Samsung Wi-Fi service, secured by Samsung’s Knox mobile security platform, uses location-based and real-time alerts to improve the driving experience, including increasing fuel efficiency, Samsung said. AT&T Digital Life and Ericsson are in discussions to take the home security and automation service outside of the U.S., AT&T said. Ericsson would provide its sales channels and technical expertise, and AT&T and Ericsson are “exploring how to simplify the ability of companies outside the U.S. to enter the smart home business,” AT&T said. As part of the relationship, Ericsson “may help test and integrate the AT&T Digital Life platform onto the licensing company’s systems as well as providing post-launch support,” AT&T said.