Airbiquity partners with China Unicom to provide connected vehicle services in China

SPAIN: Airbiquity, a global leader in connected vehicle services, and China Unicom of Shanghai, announced a partnership to provide telematics services for the Chinese automotive market, leveraging Airbiquity’s Choreo connected vehicle service delivery platform and China Unicom’s telecom infrastructure and service provider capabilities. The goal of the partnership is to provide comprehensive and advanced connected vehicle services for Chinese automotive line-fit and aftermarket programs.

The partnership will increase the breadth of services for both companies in the field of connected vehicle solutions, and help automotive manufacturers throughout China to quickly implement industry-leading telematics solutions.

Planned services offered through the partnership include infotainment and smartphone integration, commercial vehicle fleet services, CRM, and other traditional telematics services. “Airbiquity is delighted to partner with China Unicom of Shanghai to expand its connected vehicle services within China,” said Kamyar Moinzadeh, president and CEO of Airbiquity.

“With GSM and WCDMA business in 31 provinces and regions, as well as broadband and ICT infrastructure throughout the country, China Unicom is a leader in connectivity solutions. Bringing that industry-leading level of service into the car, across China, is an intelligent next step in a rapidly expanding market.”

Shipments of smartphones in China increased 61 percent YoY in Q3 2012, surging way ahead of the United States and confirming the nation’s position as the world's largest country by volume. Matched with growing automotive production and sales, China Unicom and Airbiquity will be well positioned to bring cutting-edge telematics services to a rapidly expanding market.

“With vehicle sales in China alone expected to rise from 21 million units in 2013 to nearly 34 million in 2019, the opportunity for connected car solution suppliers is huge in this region," said Richard Robinson, director, automotive at Strategy Analytics. "Our research highlights that nearly half of the vehicles sold in China will have either embedded modems or tethered device telematics capability by 2019, in spite of the lower value 'economy' segment accounting for over 30 percent of vehicle sales."

Services are scheduled to launch later this year with two customers already under agreement.