Huawei and Audi team up on connected cars

t CES Asia 2015 in Shanghai, Chinese networking supplier Huawei and German car manufacturer Audi Group have announced a new partnership to jointly explore the future of connected car technology.

At the show, Huawei showed off new LTE modules that provide Audi’s latest Q7 SUV with the ability to support 2G, 3G and 4G networks, as well as TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE standards.

The firm claimed this will enable data transfers with download speeds approaching 100Mbps. It also said drivers will be given internet-enabled key features that will deliver an “enhanced driving experience”.

Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu said the supplier saw “unlimited opportunities” in connected cars.

“By partnering with industry-leading automobile companies like Audi, Huawei aims to bring the best interconnection services and solutions to the next generation of cars, while actively promoting interaction between cars, smartphones, wearables and people,” he said.

Internet of cars

A recent Telefónica report suggested that 90% of cars would have internet connectivity within the next five years. This is expected to be a major early use case for the internet of things, along with smartphones and wearables.

READ MORE ABOUT CONNECTED CARS 

• IT has always tried to align with the business, but for Klas Bendrik, group CIO at Volvo Cars, it seems business has aligned with IT
• Juniper Research study finds integrated in-vehicle connectivity and apps will become standard in new cars by the end of 2018
• Autonomous connected vehicles will be launched onto the market in 2016, the head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance tells Mobile World Congress

Concerns have already been raised, however, about the potential for real-world traffic jams to produce data traffic jams on mobile networks.

A recent report from network analytics firm Teoco said that connected cars had the potential to cause highly variable network traffic patterns owing to how the majority of drivers use their vehicles.

It warned that mobile network operators would need to take steps to beef up their mast infrastructure alongside major roads as cell sites could struggle to accommodate the vast number of cars moving through their catchment area during the morning and evening peaks.

“If connected cars regularly cause network traffic spikes in a particular location that can’t be met, there are implications for operators in meeting service-level agreements and delivering a positive quality of experience,” said Matt Hatton, founder of Machina Research, which conducted the study on Teoco’s behalf.