Mike Hibberd

February 28, 2011

1 Min Read
Vodafone signs telematics deal with Hyundai
Hyundai said it hopes the deal with Vodafone will increase its sales in Europe

Vodafone’s Global Enterprise division has struck a deal with Korean auto manufacturer Hyundai, which also owns the Kia motor brand, that will see the two firms collaborate on telematics services for the European market. Hyundai, which is leading the project, said it expects the deal to boost its “competitiveness in IT systems and reach out to a wider customer base in Europe.”

Hyundai Motor vice-chairman Lee Hyun-Soon said: “Through collaboration with the world-renowned mobile communications operator Vodafone, the Hyundai Motor Group looks forward to providing advanced automotive IT services to its European customers as part of its ongoing commitment to become increasingly competitive in this market.”

Vodafone is one of the leading carriers in the M2M space, with some five million M2M connections, according to Marc Sauter, the firm’s head of business development, M2M. While there is enormous potential in the M2M market, he said, there remain a number of challenges to be overcome.

“M2M applications are still complex to develop, run and operate,” Sauter said. “The market is very fragmented and therefore growth hasn’t happened at the rate which was possible, and which people have expected. We need to make it simpler and more affordable for businesses to develop smart services and connect devices to the internet.”

At Mobile World Congress this year, Vodafone announced a collaboration with Intel designed to go some way to meeting these goals.

About the Author(s)

Mike Hibberd

Mike Hibberd was previously editorial director at Telecoms.com, Mobile Communications International magazine and Banking Technology | Follow him @telecomshibberd

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