Connected Cars: Just Cool or Big Business?
Monetizing the Connected Car
If you'll forgive the cheap pun, the ability to sell and bill for differentiated services is where the rubber really meets the road for CSPs. Orga systems is a billing provider focused on enabling in-vehicle services for the connected car.
Orga Systems’ OS.Automotive allows car manufacturers to launch and bill for in-car services and products. Some of these types of services include:
- Premium navigation
- Travel assistance
- Car sharing and smart car rental schemes
- Rich mobility services (search and location-based services)
- Retail partner programs and loyalty schemes
- On-board infotainment/on-demand media
- Concierge services
OS.Automotive aims to offer end-to-end functionality for Order Management, Real-time Billing, Customer Management and Customer Care/Self-Care in one. It can support car manufacturers to launch, enable, incentivize and monetize innovative in-vehicle services, differentiated by target customer segment, country, vehicle type and built-in standard/special on-board equipment.
"A key success factor for the launch of new in-vehicle services is a seamless and positive driver experience to select, activate and pay for in-vehicle services," Orga CEO Ramez Younan says. "Depending on the car model and available on-board equipment, the solution helps car manufacturers execute advanced service eligibility policies to aid segmentation and also to ensure correct product-vehicle-compatibility. The solution is based on Orga Systems’ Order-to-Cash offering for the automotive industry and includes Order Management and Customer Care for in-vehicle services."
The Future of the Connected Car
In order to become a consumer success, even the most sophisticated technologies have to address the most mundane of human inconveniences. The future of the connected car is no different. Take AT&T Labs' Don Henderson's app “Got My Stuff,' which uses RFID tags so the car can instantly scan its own contents as you twist the key in the ignition and reminds you if you've forgotten anything. You just tag everyday items like a phone, wallet, bag, or sunglasses, and if you’ve forgotten it, the car will remind you.
Then there's the Connected Porsche model built by AT&T, QNX, and Panasonic. The car uses AT&T’s Watson Speech API so the driver can literally talk to it. The Porsche takes data from the driver and integrates it with the car's internal systems to offer location-specific information and services, or perform other tasks. The car's not quite ready for prime time consumer sales, but it's certainly making strides. So, the future talking, thinking, interactive connected car is not far off and may be starting to look a bit like our old friend K.I.T.T. from “Knight Rider.” But, luckily the Hoff's leather outfit is still optional.
