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The road to connected mobility doesn’t need to be lonely

Earlier this week, leading American automaker Ford named James Hackett their new CEO. Mr. Hackett has previously run Ford Smart Mobility, a branch within the company focused on exploring the possibilities that come from combining connectivity with mobility. Today, advances in connected vehicle tech are coming out of Silicon Valley at a rapid pace. Automakers in Detroit hear the clock ticking, and are taking measures to speed up processes in order to catch up with the competition in California. The changes at Ford illustrate how seriously they take this challenge, and just how important connected mobility is for the auto industry.
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One of the biggest speed bumps to connected mobility is connectivity. Sending near real-time data between the cloud and cars requires secure and reliable mobile broadband connectivity.

To make that happen, automakers need solutions that make the most of today’s bandwidth and legacy technology, while staying “future-proof” as even faster LTE becomes possible.

I work at Ericsson in a group that is dedicated to help the auto industry advance the way it uses connectivity. Like the automakers in Detroit, we at Ericsson are proud of our heritage, with a long history in communications tech and infrastructure. We also understand the importance of moving forward, using our hard-earned expertise to advance in ways others cannot.

Choosing strong partners is one way we have been able to speed up that advancement. At Ericsson, we find innovation often comes from combining competencies and looking at things from a new angle.

Together with partners like Volvo, we are innovating beyond the driving experience, and bringing connected cars to drivers all around the world. With Lynk & Co, the car born digital, we are creating exciting new services such as Share My Car. We have also worked extensively with Scania, the most connected truck brand, to open up the ecosystem for innovative new services – with the ultimate aim of achieving a more sustainable transport system.

In Kista, the high-tech part of Stockholm (or mini-Silicon valley, one might say) where Ericsson is headquartered, we have partnered with Nobina & Easymile to set up a test area for autonomous buses that travel around our campus. We are also currently working hard to bring 5G into cars, in places like the IDIADA test track outside Barcelona, Spain and in cross-industry forums like the 5GAA – 5G Automotive Association.

Personally, I’m looking forward to visiting Detroit in a few weeks, and to attending the Telematic Update Event. So much is happening with car connectivity, and TU is a great place to hear the latest and greatest from some of the brightest minds in the industry.

 

This post was writen by Magnus Gunnarsson (@ConnectedAutoMG), Car and Tech enthusiast driving Global Marketing for Ericsson Automotive

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