Car makers accelerate Wi-Fi adoption

[Harv]

Applications include in-car safety, navigation and entertainment

A growing focus on portability and consumer electronics has bolstered demand for wireless technologies in the western European automotive industry, according to newly published research.

A study by Frost & Sullivan revealed that car manufacturers are increasingly deploying new wireless technologies in different applications within the automotive sector to effectively operate such devices.

Wireless technologies gaining momentum include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMax, UWB, ZigBee, DSRC, radio frequency and near field communications.

Frost & Sullivan noted that potential applications are vehicle safety (such as collision avoidance), entertainment (music streaming and downloading), voice applications, tracking functions, remote monitoring and diagnostics, and inter-vehicle communication.

"Significant growth opportunities exist in applications related to portable device connectivity and plug-and-play telematics," said Praveen Chandrashekhar, senior research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

"Due to growing demand for portable devices such as Apple's iPod, Sony's Xplod and Creative's portable music players, wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB and Zigbee are gaining prominence for interfacing the devices to the vehicle architecture."

Chandrashekhar pointed to an increasing shift from fixed standalone device-based navigation to portable devices such as PDAs, smartphones, mobile phones and dedicated portable devices.

This shift towards more flexible and portable plug-and-play device-dependant applications is expected to fuel greater demand for wireless technologies, particularly Bluetooth, UWB and Zigbee.

"With legislation being implemented to enforce mandatory hands-free telephony while driving, Bluetooth has become the standard wireless technology in most automotive applications," said Chandrashekhar.

"Using this mandatory legislation as a key marketing tool to spur awareness of wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, and their implications on driving safety, will facilitate increased market penetration."

Vehicle manufacturers are also expected to implement upcoming Bluetooth applications such as remote vehicle diagnostics and wireless control of rear seat entertainment systems to replace infrared technology.

As a result, the market for Bluetooth equipped vehicles is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27.1 per cent from 2005 to 2010.

The implementation of Wi-Fi technology is expected to begin in 2008 with BMW's introduction of the technology in its premier models, the BMW 5 and 7 series, which will be a catalyst for enhanced market growth.

The growing use of wireless Lan technologies such as Wi-Fi, which enables internet connectivity for different applications such as music downloads, video streaming and off-board services related to navigation and entertainment, will spur greater demand for wireless automotive technologies.

Hence, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers should actively strive for Wi-Fi implementations and price the service model nominally to promote the uptake of Wi-Fi automotive applications.

UWB penetration is likely to grow with the impending adoption of the standard by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, particularly in collision avoidance applications.

Improved safety and security measures, which involve emergency braking and inter-vehicle communication, have created greater scope for the implementation of wireless technologies.

At the same time, the implementation of Zigbee applications will also escalate due to its increased network capacity and sensor expertise.

With the development of different wireless technologies likely to take place after 2010, Bluetooth will remain the key wireless technology in automotive applications, according to Frost & Sullivan.

Vehicle manufacturers should focus on offering a greater number of applications with their existing Bluetooth module, while investigating the sc ope of other wireless technologies.