BMW is embedding Gemalto’s M2M products in its latest cars to enable emergency call services across Europe.
The calls will be made through Deutsche Telekom’s network. The company claims to be the first network operator to have its automotive MFF (M2M form factor) sims built into an industrial product series.
So far, more than 200,000 BMW cars in use across Europe are equipped with the M2M system from the two companies.
Deutsche Telekom provided the central component for the mobile-based emergency system with wireless communications link for vehicles all over Europe, in cooperation with its roaming partners. Gemalto developed a machine identification module (MIM), the dedicated MFF sim, to meet the quality requirements of the automotive environment and to ensure service availability for Deutsche Telekom and BMW car owners.
This enables a reliable connection to BMW Connected Drive’s driver assistance and information service via Deutsche Telekom and its roaming partners’ networks. The service includes an assistance centre that dispatches swift help in emergency situations.
Activation of the crash sensors in the car triggers an automatic call to the call centre and reports the exact car position. The emergency call can also be set up manually if car trouble occurs.