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Automakers and Phone Suppliers Eye Car-To-Phone Standard

By Hurrairah bin Sohail - on 21 Mar 2011, 9:30am

Automakers and Phone Suppliers Eye Car-To-Phone Standard

Eleven companies in the consumer electronics and automotive industries have banded together to form a consortium to develop smartphone-to-vehicle connectivity standards, including a standard enabling control of smartphone functions from a vehicle's controls.

The Car Connectivity Consortium includes vehicle manufacturers Daimler, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Toyota and Volkswagen; automotive-system suppliers Alpine and Panasonic; and consumer electronics suppliers LG Electronics, Nokia and Samsung.

The group's first priority is to further develop the Terminal Mode standard unveiled by Nokia early last year to let drivers access mobile phone applications via a vehicle's in-dash controls, touchscreens, and steering-wheel-mounted controls while viewing the apps on the vehicle's LCD screen. Terminal Mode is built on such existing standards as IP, USB and Bluetooth, and it would enable plug-and-play device connectivity across various brands of devices in multiple vehicle brands.

Besides developing Terminal Mode, the group will consider Terminal Mode certification standards and consider potential standards for in-car NFC (near-field communications) and wireless charging.

The consortium will release its first specification version within the next few months. Several consortium members are expected to present their first commercial products supporting the new standard later this year, the consortium said.

"The Car Connectivity Consortium now has the power to turn Terminal Mode into the global standard for the integration of smartphones into vehicles," said Floris van de Klashorst, director of Nokia Automotive. "The industry support we received through the members has been excellent and makes Terminal Mode a truly global effort."

For more details, visit http://www.terminalmode.org/en/agenda/consortium.

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