Vodafone has agreed a European deal with Volkswagen and Audi in Europe to provide in-car connectivity, starting with new Audi models from next year.
These vehicles will have an embedded SIM chip that’s been developed specifically for the automobile industry and is designed to work at temperatures from -40° to +85° Celsius.
Audi has already integrated an optional 4G-capable ‘infotainment’ system in its S3 model, which will be on display at CeBIT next week.
Erik Brenneis, Chief Executive of Vodafone’s Machine-to-Machine business, said: “We are pleased to supply Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications to Volkswagen Group. As a result of this agreement, we will strengthen further our position in the automotive sector – one of the key markets for M2M communication. Our efficient mobile communications networks ensure that the networked car is becoming more and more widespread, including across European national borders.”