Volvo Gets AT&T To Provide HSPA+ In-Car Connectivity

When one talks about Volvo, great vehicle design is not the first thing that pops into one’s mind, as most of the time, as safety seems to be the major keyword instead. This iconic Swedish automaker has had its fair share of safety features introduced in the past, with the most recent one being an inflatable child seat concept that will hopefully see action in production vehicles soon. This time around, Volvo looks to enhance the in-car experience by signing a multi-year agreement with AT&T for the mobile carrier to deliver in-car connectivity services.

This agreement would see AT&T’s single SIM platform be the brains behind Volvo’s in-car solution that is known as Sensus Connect, where it will kick off with model year 2015 vehicles that are sold in the US and Canada. Sensus Connect happens to be an infotainment platform that will rely on technology from Ericsson.

Operating on AT&T’s HSPA+ network, it might seem to be a surprise to some considering how many people are making the jump towards LTE connectivity in the US, but I guess Volvo is more concerned with ensuring that everyone gets adequate coverage just about everywhere, instead of concentrating on the more modern areas of the country. It remains to be seen as to how much Volvo will charge customers for connectivity, so go figure.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Transportation
Tags: AT&T, volvo