The Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona, Spain this week, and BMW will be there, talking about the future of intelligent driver-car connectivity.
The GSMA is a trade association that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. About 1,100 companies in the mobile operations universe are members of the GSMA. The organization's biggest event is its annual exhibition and conference that it bills as the Mobile World Congress.
What are mobile operators? Licensed mobile operators—what we call wireless service providers—using GSM technology may be full members in GSMA, while firms that make handsets and other devices, software companies, equipment providers, and Internet companies might be associate members. U.S. members in the U.S. include the big ones you've heard about, such as AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, Dish, and a number of smaller providers.
BMW has a big stake in wireless communications and data, since it is committed to connectivity as one of its core values. Plus, every new BMW has its own SIM card, which makes every new BMW a big, rolling cell phone.
BMW offers its Connected services for driver safety, convenience, and infotainment. Vehicles may connect to smartphones, smart watches, and tablets to provide trip planning and navigation, remote control functions, charging for electrified BMWs, and other personal mobility services. BMW Connected, which launched in the U.S., is now available in 29 countries.
You don't have to be inside your BMW to take advantage of BMW Connected. Owners with Amazon's Alexa service can use voice commands in their homes to pre-condition their vehicle's ventilation, check fuel levels, lock the vehicle, set destinations, and receive optimal departure times.
A new connected service that will be tested later this year in the U.K. will alert owners when their BMW needs service and offer a selection of appointments at their dealer of choice. This is a step up from the old paper mail system and the more recent e-mail system.
BMW will also use the World Mobile Congress to highlight the next upgrade to autonomous parking. We've seen how the G11/G12 7 Series and the new G30 5 Series can be remotely parked using the key fob. In Barcelona, BMW will provide an active driving demonstration during which a BMW i3 will park itself remotely with the operator using gesture control—from outside of the car. We're looking forward to that video.
Another possible connected feature that was presented at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in January is an en route delivery service. If this service comes to pass—and we hope it does—BMW drivers who are also Amazon Prime customers may place an order while on the road and have it delivered to a calculated spot along their planned route. That has the potential for coming in very handy.
As we said, BMW is committed to connectivity. Wireless providers around the world will be increasingly more important to BMW providing personal mobility services to its customers, and that's why it's important that BMW give those providers its vision of what it will need from mobile operators in the future. And that's why BMW is a featured presenter at this week's World Mobile Congress.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
