The Next Frontier for Communications & Entertainment Providers: The Connected Car

Scottsdale, Ariz., June 27, 2013- In 2017, there will be nearly 30 million cars shipped with 3G/4G cellular connectivity with more than 100 million in total on the road at that time according to MRG. Meanwhile, although the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) segment is currently smaller than the cellular connectivity segment, it is growing faster - MRG's forecast puts cars with IVI at nearly 40 million shipped with more than 85 million on the road in 2017.

The ‘connected infotainment’ category is taking off first in North America and East Asia, followed by Western Europe. AT&T is one of the first operators in the world to launch a market initiative specifically positioned toward consumer-facing automotive infotainment and digital home services. However, all of the major telecom network providers are engaged in trials with automobile manufacturers, service providers and app developers, worldwide. The opportunities for service providers, equipment vendors and technology providers are endless.

The MRG identifies the B2C, B2B and B2B2C opportunities that the Connected Car brings to the communications and digital entertainment industries, and presents the systems, consumer-facing solutions, use-cases and the trends associated with them. These range from connected entertainment to personal connectivity, location-aware services, social media, home control, home monitoring, and mobile payments.

Also discussed are the enabling software and connectivity technologies of the Connected Car, key vendors, and the kinds of partnerships that are available to wireless carriers, content providers, software and app developers, between the TV and automotive industry ecosystems. A section of the report makes specific recommendations for alliances between technology providers in the Connected Car and Connected CE market spaces. To complete the picture of the Connected Car, MRG identifies how cars are being equipped with sensors for driver assistance and collision avoidance, in-vehicle networks, and wide area communications for infotainment, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) applications.

A five year forecast for the available market of in-vehicle infotainment systems and in-vehicle cellular market penetration and growth rates is also provided. The forecast covers passenger cars, SUVs, light trucks and RVs purchased by mainstream consumers, but not commercial vehicles.