eCall, the European Commission and Telenor

Article: 16 June 2010

Telenor takes an active role in eCall implementation across Europe.

Commissioner Neelie Kroes is on a mission to save thousands of lives each year with eCall, a service that automatically sends a distress call after a car accident. The European Commission has elevated eCall to the top of their agenda, and legislation that would require all new cars in Europe to be outfitted with this life-saving service is now in the works.

“Telenor is an active supporter of the European Commission’s eCall initiative and we are currently taking an active role in the European eCall Implementation Platform, which consists of various stakeholders working to bring eCall to Europe,” said Lotte Abildgaard, Vice President and Head of Telenor’s representative office in Brussels. “Telenor’s main contribution to this initiative is our expertise. Our involvement allows us to be a part of the dialogue, work side-by-side with important stakeholders and help shape policy that will impact our business.”

Telenor and Volvo share an eCall history

eCall is not a new concept, despite its relatively recent addition to the European Commission’s agenda. According to Per Lindberg, Global Business Development Executive at Telenor Connexion, Telenor has worked with Volvo on their eCall solution for more than 10 years.

“Telenor Connexion has been delivering the communications system for Volvo’s OnCall service package since 1999. Today we provide the communication for OnCall in 14 different markets,” said Lindberg.

Telenor Connexion is comprised of people focused on connectivity. It is a part of Telenor Group’s broader M2M strategy and serves many diverse markets. Lindberg is focused on the automotive telematics market, which explores the integration of wireless communication in vehicles.

“eCall is just a driver and enabler of other services. It will force manufacturers to think about telematics, and they will not settle for an eCall service alone,” said Lindberg. “Wirelessly enabling a vehicle makes so many new features possible, such as stolen vehicle tracking, infotainment, media downloads and much more. We will see an abundance of new services that are all a result of the eCall trigger.”

Abildgaard adds, “Telenor believes that automotive telematics is one of the major growth areas within M2M, which is why we are actively working with the European Commission and car manufacturers. eCall opens up the door for additional third party services that Telenor can someday offer, as we have the capability to provide far more than just the emergency service via this new functionality.”

Telematics becomes part of the production process

With the goal of being the best communications provider for life and business critical applications, Telenor is cooperating with car manufacturers to help them define their strategies in order to successfully implement telematics into the production process.

According to Lindberg, “In the M2M space, the SIM card is embedded during the industrial production process. This put different logistical requirements on how these SIM cards are supplied and activated. It’s not possible for Volvo, for example, to have separate SIM cards and technical solutions for all their markets. That’s why Telenor Connexion offers a global solution – one SIM card that works anywhere.”

The challenges of pan-European eCall

According to Abildgaard, the European Commission’s eCall initiative acknowledges the logistical challenges of pan-European implementation. This is why all involved parties come together in the “eCall Implementation Platform”, where the various challenges are addressed:

Car manufacturers will have to implement the hardware to support eCall in the vehicles.
Mobile operators will have to support eCall in their networks.
Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) will have to implement technology to receive the calls and invest in systems that can read out car information.

eCall legislation will be completed by the end of 2010, and widespread implementation is expected by 2013. “We are in dialogue with car manufacturers, the PSAPs and other mobile operators to share our expertise and take part in eCall’s implementation. In a few years eCall will be a reality across Europe and we will see several new and unique services as a result. eCall is just the beginning,” concluded Abildgaard.