Summit Tech, a leading provider of innovative cross-platform VoLTE & Rich Communication Services (RCS) clients and SDKs has unveiled the 'first' Voice over LTE (VoLTE)/Rich Communication Services (RCS)-capable Connected Car in collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent at the GSMA’s Innovation City showcase at the recent Mobile World Congress 2015. The company said that based on a highly reliable virtualized IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) platform that comes equipped with APIs for rapid service creation, VoLTE’s high definition voice and rich communications can now be easily extended to the Connected Car.
In contrast to cars with only built-in LTE for Internet access, Summit Tech said that the VoLTE/RCS enabled Connected Car will become a secondary device to complement a user's smartphone. The Connected Car has call hand-over -- seamlessly transferring calls to the car without any user interaction. Even if their smartphone battery dies, a user can continue the call from their car which behaves as an independent secondary telephony device.
The system works with Heads-Up Display systems in cars, so that users can view their calls, messages or data while keeping their eyes on the road and manage them using gesture control. Leveraging the power of Alcatel-Lucent’s IMS solution currently deployed in operator’s networks and capable of supporting mobile and WiFi, the Connected Car brings occupants a full suite of communication services including support for VoLTE, video communications, IP messaging/chat and social presence to open up countless use cases, added Summit Tech.
By leveraging APIs exposing the rich functionality of today’s IP communication networks, communications as a service can be embedded into the Connected Car experience to provide on the go consumers and business users with personalized ultra broadband experiences. The Connected Car becomes yet another means by which operators can offer innovative services beyond the smartphone and enter new vertical markets to leverage their investments in LTE networks and VoLTE services.
Alido Di Giovanni, President of Summit Tech
We don’t need any more fragmentation across voice, messaging and data systems. Closed systems are not helpful to the progression of Connected Cars. With this ecosystem, operators can finally be at the heart of Connected Cars, as they should be. They can be the ones that provide the disruption and the innovation in this market. And consumers can benefit from a system that works seamlessly across car manufacturers, operating systems and carrier networks.
