Get ready for some distracted driving Canucks. Major carriers Rogers and Sprint announced a partnership to bring the connected car experience to Canada. The agreement sees Rogers Wireless as the preferred connectivity provider for cars equipped with Sprint’s comprehensive in-car system, Sprint Velocity.
Canadians driving vehicles that use the Sprint Velocity solution have access to a variety of connected services including news, weather, sports, navigation, climate control, security, emergency services and vehicle diagnostics. All of these can be accessed from a convenient in-dash touch screen. Sprint Velocity also provides connectivity for mobile devices in the car including smartphones and tablets to allow for calls and other communication like texting and emails.
“Canadians want to be connected from anywhere, at any time, and with over twenty million vehicles on the road in Canada there is a strong growth opportunity for Rogers in the connected auto segment,” said Mansell Nelson, Vice-President, Advanced Business Solutions, Rogers. “Sprint Velocity will bring to Canada the ultimate connected car experience on the road, with a combination of smartphone, tablet and in-dash capabilities, while also delivering safety features and communicating vehicle maintenance information seamlessly to manufacturers.”
Sprint Velocity is a connected vehicle platform built specifically for auto makers. Sprint’s long-standing relationships with carriers around the world help auto manufacturers ensure that their connected car experience is not limited to a single area or country. Sprint Velocity launched in the United States in November of last year with Chrysler lined up as their first partner.
The connected car market is expected to explode over the next few years. According to Juniper Research, nearly 100 million connected cars will be on the road by 2016. And it’s expected that by 2021, the automotive sector will have the highest share of connectivity-related revenue.