Release of 14.01.2015
Telekom Austria Group, the leading communications provider in the CEE area, and Porsche Holding Salzburg, the largest automotive retailer in Europe, announced at the Vienna Autoshow that they have entered into an exclusive cooperation in the area of 'Connected Car'".
The main objective of this partnership is to drive innovation in the area of the 'Connected Car' and offer customers services and applications at affordable prices.
A key area of innovation is DiBox, a small digital box which is integrated into the vehicle and allows the car owner to collect relevant data via their smartphone. The DiBOX functions as an 'open platform' for future applications and services. The platform can be accessed and used by mobility service providers and freelance programmers. As a result, third party providers can develop apps and services on this platform using the data available. This data could include, for example, information on fuel consumption, speed and individual driving behavior. Telekom Austria Group M2M will be responsible for equipping the DiBOX platform with Telekom Austria SIM chips, and will also provide necessary IT systems for administration and billing purposes. An objective of the partnership between Porsche Holding Salzburg and Telekom Austria Group is to conveniently offer customers a wide range of application possibilities that can be selected and combined Via DiBOX, Porsche Holding Salzburg and Telekom Austria Group make the necessary infrastructure available.
"The trend towards the interconnection of machines, objects and vehicles - the so-called Internet of Things - is unstoppable and increasingly gathering momentum, opening up new application opportunities in a many areas of life. Telekom Austria Group's extensive ICT competence combined with Porsche Holding Salzburg's automotive know-how and sales power provide the ideal basis to turn our 'Connected Car' vision into reality", said Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO Telekom Austria Group, about the cooperation with Porsche Holding Salzburg.
Alain Favey, CEO Porsche Holding Salzburg continues "The new DiBOX helps to democratize the 'Connected Car'. With Telekom Austria Group as our partner we guarantee first class connections and an open platform for future developments, both content wise and geographically.
In September 2011, Telekom Austria Group M2M GmbH was set up as a competence center for machine-to-machine communication. Since then, the company has developed and marketed connectivity services along with comprehensive solutions in the area of asset tracking and fleet management, insurance telematics, industrial automation and remote maintenance, smart metering and energy efficiency as well as connected consumer gadgets.
'Connected Cars' are a significant driver for growth. According to a publication of Berg Insight ("The Global Wireless M2M Market, August 2014), a total of 68 million devices were ordered globally in 2013. By 2019, this is expected to grow to 207.8 million M2M devices. In addition, 176.4 million M2M connections were cumulatively registered worldwide until year-end 2013 and this number is expected to cumulatively increase to 599.7 million until year-end 2019.
Data protection is a top priority and DiBOX is based on a unique data security concept, which has already been awarded the European Privacy Seal, the highest standard in terms of data protection. Currently, the DiBOX app is compatible with iOS 8.1 and later versions as well as Android 5.0 and later versions. DiBOX can be deployed in brand new car models and has also been designed as retrofit solution for used cars of up to eight years.
In addition, individual solutions for SMEs and fleet customers are planned as DiBOX data can be easily integrated into single fleet management systems. Vehicle fleet managers for companies or associations, such as emergency service and fire-brigades or private security companies, can receive real-time information about the vehicle location or about upcoming service and repair dates. Thus, processes become quicker and more effective. In this context, the further optimization of comfort, efficiency and security is the main focus.
Since the beginning of this year, DiBOX has been available to order as a new car accessory for selected car models of the brands Volkswagen, Audi and Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge. Other group brands will soon follow suit. DiBOX will be first made available in Austria. Since Porsche Holding Salzburg and Telekom Austria Group currently operate in numerous European markets, a joint market expansion is planned moving forward.
Notes to the Editor
The actual manufacturer and supplier of DiBOX is an Austrian company known as AMV Networks. The AMV®System is the first and only telematics system within the automotive industry that has received the European Privacy Seal, fulfilling the highest data security standards in the world.
The customer has full authority over his/her own sent data. Each single feature can only be activated upon prior approval by the customer and data transmission can be discontinued via an online portal at any time. Business customers can use the DiBOX functionalities in coordination with the works council, which ensures privacy protection for company car users.
The DiBOX is based on the AMV®System and the corresponding software functions, to some extent, as clearing house. Data, which is read out in the car only upon prior approval by the customer, is sent to the AMV®System anonymously and forwarded to Porsche Informatik only with the driver's express consent, where a connection between the vehicle and the car owner is ultimately set up. DiBOX users remain anonymous and their data is neither stored by AMV nor by Porsche Informatik.