Rogers Communications and Sprint to bring Connected Cars to Canada
Sprint Velocity to be powered by Rogers' national wireless networks
Canadians to experience next generation in-car infotainment and telematics technology
TORONTO AND OVERLAND PARK, Kan, Sept. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI:B) and Sprint (NYSE: S) announced today that they have reached an agreement enabling Sprint to bring a comprehensive in-car infotainment and telematics solution to Canadians. Through the agreement, auto manufacturers deploying Sprint Velocity in Canada will leverage Rogers' wireless networks to connected vehicles on the road.
"Canadians want to be connected from anywhere, at any time, and with over twenty million vehicles on the road in Canada there is a strong growth opportunity for Rogers in the connected auto segment," said Mansell Nelson, Vice-President, Advanced Business Solutions, Rogers. "Sprint Velocity will bring to Canada the ultimate connected car experience on the road, with a combination of smartphone, tablet and in-dash capabilities, while also delivering safety features and communicating vehicle maintenance information seamlessly to manufacturers."
Canadians driving vehicles that use the Sprint Velocity solution will have access to a seamless, connected experience on the road. Connected services including infotainment (news, weather, sports and more), navigation, climate control, security, emergency services and vehicle diagnostics are all available with a convenient in-dash touch screen. Sprint Velocity also provides connectivity for mobile devices in the car including smartphones and tablets.
"We're pleased to select Rogers as our preferred provider of end-to-end connectivity to connected vehicles throughout Canada", said Ben Vos, Vice-President and General Manager for Sprint's Emerging Solutions Group. "We look forward to teaming with our trusted colleagues at Rogers to bring Sprint Velocity's award-winning in-vehicle connected experience to Canadian consumers."
Sprint Velocity combines technical integration with Sprint's deep expertise in wireless customer experience, customer relationship management and wireless applications. Sprint Velocity is a comprehensive global end-to-end automotive systems solution designed specifically for vehicle manufacturers. Through mobile integration, Sprint Velocity allows automakers around the world to develop and market connected services for cars and passenger trucks. In the past year, Sprint Velocity has delivered an enhanced consumer experience to drivers across the United States. This agreement will enable the extension of Sprint velocity to Canadian drivers as global automakers launch connected vehicles in Canada.
Globally, the connected car market is poised to grow exponentially. Leading industry research indicates nearly 100 million connected cars will be on the road by 20161. Additionally, the automotive and transport sector will have the highest share of connectivity-related revenue by 2021, driven by the increasing adoption of consumer connected car solutions2.
"Rogers is Canada's largest wireless network operator by number of subscribers and has established itself as a leader in delivering M2M and wireless business solutions to the Canadian market," said Tony Olvet, group vice-president of research, IDC Canada. "This new agreement with Sprint will position Rogers well for the next phase of meaningful growth."
Earlier this month, Rogers surpassed powering over one million Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connections, further establishing Rogers industry leadership in the Canadian market. Through strategic network and partner agreements, Rogers is further poised to capitalize on growth opportunities across key verticals including automotive, healthcare, retail and managed services.
To learn more about Advanced Business Solutions from Rogers, visit www.rogersm2mbusiness.com.
To learn more about Sprint Velocity, visit www.m2m.sprint.com/velocity or watch an interactive demo at Sprint Velocity video.
About Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high speed internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.
About Sprint
Sprint offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint served more than 53 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2013 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all 47 industries, during the last five years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
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1 Juniper Research, March 2012
2 Analysys Mason, June 2012
SOURCE Rogers Communications Inc.
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