Telenor is to pilot a new mobile app that allows drivers to track their vehicles as it unveiled a new connected car forum that will connect Nordic companies in the sector.
Telenor Connect worked with Saab Automobile spin-off Swedspot to develop the app, which gives car owners an overview of their vehicle’s status, access to car-related services and provides an in-car 4G Wi-Fi hotspot.
The app has an API to allow Telenor’s partners to develop applications for the platform.
At launch, users can choose to receive share data with, and receive personalised offers from, a network of partners, including car dealership Bertel O. Steen, convenience store owner Circle K Europe, smart parking app EasyPark, the If P&C Insurance company and automotive spare-parts business Mekonomen Group.
The app will be tested in Norway, Sweden and Denmark before being rolled out in the Nordics and potentially more widely.
Alongside the launch of the app, Telenor announced that it had established the Nordic Car Connect Forum, which aims to become the main hub for connected car stakeholders from different industries. Telenor’s partners on the app are also the founding members of the forum.
“As IoT increasingly goes mass market, Telenor wants to offer customers smart and useful services that make their daily digital lives easier,” said Sigve Brekke, CEO of Telenor Group.
Brekke cited figures suggesting that over 250 million connected cars will be on the roads by 2020.
“Telenor can play a central role in moving IoT for cars beyond navigation by enabling a digital platform for new services within the connected car ecosystem,” said Brekke.
“The mobile phone offers endless opportunities for our partners and also the startup community, which can develop content for the app ecosystem.”
[Read more: Connected car market “to split in two”, predicts Vodafone]
Earlier this month, Orange, Ericsson and the company behind Citroen and Peugeot launched a 5G technology pilot project aimed at vehicle to vehicle (v2v) and vehicle to everything (v2x) communications.