Consumer Telematics 10/10/2013 | Page 8

REPORT DESCRIPTION The word “telematics” broadly refers to a system through which a mechanical or electronic device communicates(collects,sends,or stores information) with other devices or with human users over a network. Over the years, the term has been specifically used to refer to on-board communication capabilities in automotive segment.Telematics therefore is now defined as the wireless connectivity established between vehicles and other systems like machine to machine, machine to human or direct to cloud. The basic business model for automotive segment is changing with the advent of mobile data connectivity. Smartphones have shown us the advantages of having a mobile data connection, and now the automobile industry is gradually awakening to the fact that providing the customer with internet connectivity-on the go, along with other safety and concierge services could well prove to be the key to survive in the market in the future. Consumer telematics are end-user-targeted, vehicle-centric information and communication technologies (vehicle ICTs) and services. While safety and security are the cornerstones of consumer telematics offerings, the current global economic scenario may indicate a shift of focus onto technologies which provide the end-user with a system which ensures ease of driving along with ubiquitous net connectivity without compromising on safety and security. With the fuel prices on the rise, applications that contribute to cost savings, by increasing engine efficiency will become a necessity in the future. Focus has also shifted to infotainment-not only in high end cars but also in mass production, which experts belive is going to be a big market in the coming days. Network-enabled cars for consumers provide in-vehicle services, such as emergency assistance, Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation, traffic information, local search (for example, for charging stations or restaurants) and concierge services. With the consumer telematics market growing at a rapid pace, we could very well envision a future in which almost all the vehicles produced, being fitted with telematics system. As the services offered by telematics systems are quite wide-ranging, this market requires the participation of a number of industries such as Automotive OEMs, which have to come up with economically-viable yet, high quality telematics systems. These systems again are made of a number of components such as routers, in-built RAMs, control units, CAN boards. antennas etc, IndustryARC | 8