Vodafone and AT&T get IoT on the road with car-to-car comms

The companies have announced they will work together to accelerate the development and use of Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity within the automotive industry.

As part of the alliance, the companies are planning to work on projects to improve the safety, security and entertainment capabilities of cars.

In particular, the alliance will investigate 5G and autonomous vehicle technologies, as well as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, and in-vehicle entertainment, according to Phil Skipper, head of business development, IoT, at Vodafone.

Unlike personal transportation today, where cars are typically owned and driven by a single person or household, the industry is moving towards shared ownership, with cars as a service, said Skipper.

That shift will see companies wanting to protect their assets with advanced telematics and asset tracking technologies, and to do that, they will need IoT connectivity, he said.

“On the other hand, you will also need a way for customers to buy those services, and they’re going to do that using their smart phones,” he said.