Daimler Trucks North America announced collaboration with AT&T and Microsoft Corporation for Detroit Connect suite of connected vehicle services.
AT&T will offer cellular service for the new Detroit Connect Truck Data Center, which is a hardware connecting the truck with IoT.
The data center comes exclusively with the Freightliner Cascadia, the global modular system enabled offering providing communication services for the Detroit Connect telematics system.
This includes Detroit Connect Remote Updates, enabling over-the-air engine updates and powertrain electronic firmware update capabilities for customers, along with integrating third-party telematics applications.
DTNA will collaborate with Microsoft to establish a new cloud-based back office environment for all Detroit Connect services offering features like Detroit Connect Remote Updates.
The Microsoft Azure cloud platform will process immense amounts of vehicle performance data in a secure way.
Daimler Trucks North America represents more than 40 percent of the long-haul trucking market in the NAFTA region.
“The Detroit Connect platform is a prime example of how Internet of Things connectivity can help improve efficiency, safety and performance in connected vehicles,” conveyed Martin Daum, president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America.
DTNA presented its new flagship truck in the heavy-duty Class 8 market last month, with the Freightliner Cascadia being the most connected truck claiming to set the benchmark with an exclusively used platform.
Offering on-demand, automated fuel efficiency and safety performance insights, the new DTNA connectivity platform will be available with start-of-production of the new Freightliner Cascadia in January 2017.
It is bringing electronic modules into vehicles in all markets and innovations to customers faster, and claims to be leading in connectivity.
Daimler Trucks will invest around 500 million euros in connectivity features of its vehicles and new solutions by 2020, to boost performance in logistics and to make transportation of goods safer and more environmentally friendly, conveyed the release.
AT&T having acquired DirecTV for $49 billion last year, has announced the initiation of LTE-M pilot test in collaboration with Sierra Wireless for developing IoT.
AT&T also plans to close down its GSM network by the end of this year, reallocating the spectrum to 4G related services.
Vina Krishnan
editor@telecomlead.com
