Partner News: Airbiquity and Altea to cooperate on European telematics solutions

Date: 14 November 2008

ERTICO Partner Airbiquity, a global leader in wireless communication solutions, has entered into a joint development agreement with ERTICO Partner Altea, a Milan-based telematics service provider, to offer end-to-end connected telematics services to the European automotive marketplace.

Today’s announcement marks Airbiquity’s first agreement with a full-service European Telematics Service Provider (TSP). By using Airbiquity’s patented aqLink in-band modem in aftermarket automotive telematics boxes, Altea’s platform is able to deliver a variety of telematics applications, ranging from fleet management, pay-as-you-drive insurance programs (PAYD, PPU), traffic management or pollution control, remote diagnostics and roadside assistance.

Airbiquity’s aqLink in-band modem, which works over cellular networks, will facilitate connections between vehicles and Altea’s call centers via an embedded wireless module. This unique approach to data transfer translates into a broader coverage than packet data or SMS solutions enable today and doesn’t require a costly data plan.

Altea is a recognised telematics pioneer in Europe. The company’s Open Telematics Platform (OTP) is one of the few products on the telematics market able to work with more than 30 different protocols. The openness and flexibility of Altea's solution reaches the end customer in the form of a multilingual interface supported by 24/7 assistance from a secure network of proprietary operating centers.

The solution is a perfect match for Altea’s trademarked eCall+, a program that enhances the Pan-European eCall initiative to provide safety and security services to passengers by enabling profitable business models for OEM automobile manufacturers’ telematics applications.

To learn more about Airbiquity, please visit their web site at http://www.airbiquity.com/