Qualcomm Incorporated, a company specializing in next generation mobile technologies, products and services, reportedly announced that with Hughes Telematics, Inc., a provider of next generation telematics solutions, it has successfully demonstrated the data transmission technology of the upcoming pan-European, in-vehicle emergency call (eCall) standard over commercial wireless networks.

 

The demo took place at the 12th eSafety Forum Plenary meeting “eCall Summit” in October in Brussels, Belgium.

 

Reportedly, eCall is an interoperable in-vehicle emergency call service which is envisioned to be introduced and operated across Europe in 2010. The service is an in-vehicle emergency call system to be used in the event of an accident. The use of eCall to deploy emergency assistance will save lives and reduce the social burden of road accidents. The creation of eCall standards and requirements has been triggered by the eSaftety Forum, an initiative of the relevant stakeholders, brought together by the European Commission.

 

Qualcomm’s (News - Alert) statement also said that an eCall can be generated either manually by vehicle occupants, or automatically via activation of in-vehicle sensors, in the case when an accident occurs. When activated, the eCall-enabled, in-vehicle system establishes a 112-voice connection directly with the relevant Public Safety Answering Point. At the same time, a minimum set of data- including key information about the accident such as time, location and vehicle description - is sent to the PSAP operator receiving the voice call.

 

“Qualcomm has spent the last several years developing eCall technology and standards to further the public objective of helping to save lives on roads,” said Ed Tiedemann, senior vice president of engineering at Qualcomm, in a statement. “We are pleased to collaborate with Hughes (News - Alert) Telematics on developing and demonstrating an eCall solution that will ultimately enable automakers to integrate this capability in all vehicles"

 

Atlanta-based Hughes Telematics offers a portfolio of consumer, manufacturer, fleet and dealer services provided through two-way connectivity to the vehicle. Hughes’ automotive connectivity solutions are offered through its three brands which includes; Networkfleet, Cocero and in-Drive.

 

Both HTI’s and Qualcomm’s technology provided during the demonstration included an eCall in-band modem, which was used to make a call to a prototype of an eCall-enabled PSAP located in Germany. Once the voice call was established, the eCall in-band modem protocol was used to transmit the Minimum Set of Data to the PSAP. The eCall modem was fully integrated on the Qualcomm QSC6270 chipset embedded in the demonstration unit.

 

“Safety and security is the cornerstone of our telematics offering,” Erik Goldman, president of Hughes Telematics, Inc., said. “Working with Qualcomm to support this initiative in Europe confirms our commitment to the global industry to enhance driver safety and provide a timely and efficient response during emergency situations.”

 

Recently, Qualcomm also signed an agreement with Lenovo (News - Alert) Group for incorporating its new Gobi2000 technology into Lenovo’s upcoming ThinkPad laptops in the X, T and W Series beginning in 2010 to enable global 3G connectivity. These Gobi-equipped laptops are said to provide business users with extensive wireless broadband access both domestically and internationally.