BMW and Vodafone Announce Breakthrough Wireless Connectivity Technology

Vodafone Germany SIM fitted in BMW ConnectedDrive cars to enhance safety, traffic avoidance and motoring efficiency

Vodafone’s new SIM chip will be used by BMW in Germany to connect its cars and give customers access to its innovative in-car-services such as BMW online services, a personal concierge service as well as the emergency function.

Starting this summer, new BMW series vehicles will be fitted with a specially adapted mobile SIM chip supplied by Vodafone Germany. The Vodafone SIM, which will link BMW up to its vehicles, will provide customers with access to innovative in-car services such as the BMW Online Services, a 24/7 personal concierge service for BMW drivers and an emergency call function.

The five-year agreement between Vodafone Germany and the BMW Group involves fitting SIM cards within the vehicles at the assembly plant. The service being provided by Vodafone is based on machine-to-machine technology, which allows different devices to communicate with each other. The Vodafone SIM has a lifespan of more than ten years, can withstand temperatures from minus 40 to heat of 85 degrees centigrade and is coated with anti-corrosive protection.

In the future, this technology will become even more crucial for the automotive sector with the introduction of ‘eCall’ - the automatic vehicle emergency call system in that is being planned by the European Union. From 2015 onwards, all new cars will be fitted with latest mobile data connection and SIM card that automatically calls the emergency services in the event of an accident.

For further information:

Vodafone Group

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About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 398 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as at 31 December 2011. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com.