Sprint Takes Wireless Gear to Auto Industry
date: January 15, 2011
SOURCE:The Detroit News
Sprint, the nation's third largest cell phone carrier, is aligning its future with the automobile industry, company CEO Dan Hesse said Friday in Detroit.
Sprint
is pushing wireless solutions that could turn the car into an
entertainment center, connecting it to the Internet as well as
electronics like the home computer, television, movies and music, Hesse
told the Detroit Economic Club.
"The auto industry jumpstarted our industry," Hesse said. "The car phone added productivity and enjoyment to the driving experience."
About 4 percent of the nation's 250 million cars are connected, he
said, giving Sprint a "huge opportunity" to tap the market. Hesse
wouldn't say if the connectivity will be offered for free as part of the
vehicle
or on a subscription basis, but he did say Sprint is about two years
away from it making a noticeable financial impact on the company.
"You want the sales people to be really fired up," Hesse said. "To have something really cool to show."
Hyundai
Motor America's Blue Link program is launching in 2011. Aeris
Communications is using Sprint's network to connect Blue Link consumer
vehicles to safety, entertainment, productivity and convenience
features.
PACCAR is also working with Sprint to connect
commercial vehicles from its two subsidiaries with mobile computing,
telematics and navigation. For Peterbilt, it's branded as SmartNav, and
for Kenworth, NavPlus.
These systems will help improve fuel
efficiency, Hesse said, because 6 percent of travel for fleet companies
is "out of route" mileage. Delivery and transportation companies can
communicate with each to make sure the closest driver is making the
stops, and use GPS to make sure they don't get lost, he said.
"Six percent of any number is a big number," Hesse said.
Tim Devaney / The Detroit News
tdevaney@detnews.com