Ericsson and Microsoft Team Up to Evolve Connected Vehicles

According to a recent announcement, Ericsson and Microsoft are bringing their connected vehicle products together to enhance overall connected transportation options. Ericsson is building its Connected Vehicle Cloud on top of the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform that is running on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. This new integrated solution is designed to allow automakers to deploy and scale global vehicle services such as fleet management, over-the-air software updates and connected safety services easier and faster while reducing costs.

Ericsson’s Connected Vehicle Cloud connects more than 4 million vehicles across 180 countries worldwide, representing about 10 percent of the connected vehicle market. The platform reportedly helps vehicle manufacturers by offloading the complexity of global 24/7 operations and lifecycle management related to connected vehicles with a guaranteed service-level agreement.

“The Ericsson and Microsoft partnership will deliver a comprehensive connected vehicle platform at scale to the market. Our integrated solutions will help automotive manufacturers accelerate their global connected vehicle solutions and offer a better experience for drivers and passengers,” said Åsa Tamsons, SVP and Head of Business Area Technologies & New Businesses, Ericsson. “This is an exciting new offering with great benefits for the automotive industry, leveraging Ericsson and Microsoft’s technology leadership in connectivity and cloud.”

The Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform (MCVP) is made for empowering automotive companies to accelerate the delivery of safe, comfortable and personalized connected driving experiences. It combines cloud infrastructure, edge technology, AI, and IoT services with a diverse partner ecosystem. With MCVP, Microsoft says it offers a consistent, cloud-connected platform for customer-facing solutions, including in-vehicle infotainment, advanced navigation, autonomous driving, telematics and prediction services, and over-the-air updates.

“Together with Ericsson, we intend to simplify the development of connected vehicle services to help car makers focus on their customers’ needs and accelerate the delivery of unique, tailor-made driving experiences,” said Peggy Johnson, EVP, Business Development, Microsoft.