Barcelona, 22 February 2016 – In order to facilitate the uptake of automated and connected driving in the near future, the European automotive and telecom sectors have identified three priority areas for further cooperation at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Connected and automated cars hold the promise to significantly improve road safety, decrease fuel consumption (and with that, lower emissions), reduce congestion and provide more comfort to passengers. With the global market for automated vehicles expected to reach 44 million by 2030, it is vital that Europe’s connectivity infrastructure is ready for handling millions of data points per second from these cars. Safety is paramount for connected and automated driving, which means that the highest levels of coverage, reliability and resilience are required from mobile networks. 

Recognising these challenges, the European automotive and telecom sectors joined forces in September last year by launching an “EU Industry Dialogue on automated and connected driving” to identify, and jointly overcome, the remaining barriers. However, these issues cannot be addressed by the industries alone, there is also clear need for supportive public policies and certain issues require regulatory action at the European level. 

Now, coming together at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at a high-level meeting hosted by Günther Oettinger, the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, the sectors have defined three key areas in which they pro-actively want to cooperate. These are:

·         Connectivity: Firstly, automated driving will require upgraded communication systems that provide higher performance levels in terms of latency, throughput and reliability of the network.
Europe needs to support private investment by all operators in order to foster the deployment of the necessary enhanced fixed and mobile infrastructure. For example, through ensuring a technology neutral regulatory framework, or through public funding, where investment is not feasible on a commercial basis.

•         Standardisation: Secondly, standardisation is crucial for a timely and cost efficient market development of connected and automated driving. To that end, the two industries have agreed to map all relevant standardisation activities that are being undertaken, either by the auto industry or by the telecom industry, and to jointly determine priorities.

•         Security: Thirdly, to obtain customer trust in connected and automated driving, it is critical to ensure that all data transmission to and from vehicles, as well as all data processing that is required, occurs in a secure manner. Both sectors are already involved in industry-led initiatives in this field, but have now agreed to use this dialogue to strengthen their cooperation.

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ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association represents the 15 Europe-based car, van, truck and bus manufacturers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Ford of Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, IVECO, Jaguar Land Rover, Opel Group, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars, Volvo Group. More information can be found on www.acea.be or @ACEA_eu.

More information: Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.be, +32 2 738 73 45, www.acea.be

CLEPA is the European Association of Automotive Suppliers. 116 of the world's most prominent suppliers for car parts, systems and modules and 23 National trade associations and European sector associations are members of CLEPA, representing more than 3 thousand companies, employing more than 5 million people and covering all products and services within the automotive supply chain. Based in Brussels, CLEPA is recognized as the natural discussion partner by the European Institutions, United Nations and fellow associations (ACEA, JAMA, MEMA, etc).

More information: Amalia Di Stefano, Deputy CEO, a.distefano@clepa.be, +32 2 743 91 35, www.clepa.eu
 

ETNO has been the voice of Europe’s telecommunications network operators since 1992 and has become the principal policy group for European electronic communications network operators. Its 50 members and observers in 35 countries collectively account for a turnover of more than € 600 billion and employ over 1.6 million people. ETNO companies are the main drivers of broadband and are committed to its continual growth in Europe. ETNO members are pan-European operators, also holding new entrant positions outside their national markets. ETNO brings together the main investors in innovative and high-quality e-communications platforms and services, representing 70% of total sector investment.

More information: Alessandro Gropelli, Head of Communications and Media, gropelli@etno.eu, +32 2 227 10 82, www.etno.eu, @ETNOAssociation
 

ECTA, the European Competitive Telecommunications Association, is the pan-European pro-competitive trade association that represents over 100 of the leading challenger telecoms operators across Europe. For over a decade, ECTA has been supporting the regulatory and commercial interests of telecoms operators, ISPs & equipment manufacturers in pursuit of a fair regulatory environment that allows all electronic communications providers to compete on level terms. Our members have been the leading innovators in Internet services, broadband, business communications, entertainment and mobile.

More information: Aurelie Bladocha, abladocha@ectaportal.com, Senior Public Affairs Manager, +32 2 290 01 04, www.ectaportal.com, @twecta

GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences.

More information: Gareth Davies, Director Public Relations, gdavies@gsma.com, +44 788 435 3935 www.gsma.com, @GSMA