Mandatory SIM card installation in all vehicles in Europe starting this April
Presenting the future of mobility with connected technology at MWC

Automotive technology company Continental plans to showcase the implementation of a model equipped with an integrated SIM card for emergency communication at the Mobile World Congress, which will be held from the 26th to March 1st. The integrated SIM card for emergency communication is a device that allows users to make emergency calls in the event of an emergency while driving, and it has been a mandatory requirement for all vehicles in Europe since April 2018.

Helmut Matschi, Head of Continental’s Interior Business Unit, explained at MWC, “Finally, following smartphones and tablets, automobiles have now been included in the eCall system,” adding, “Cars must now seamlessly harmonize with the user’s digital daily life.” Continental presented five concepts as conditions for this seamless harmony between digital daily life and vehicles.

Predictive connectivity
To extend unrestricted digital living into the realm of driving, it is necessary to resolve regional mobile network instability. Continental presents a predictive connectivity manager to address the issue of dropped calls or interrupted music streaming occurring in various regions due to low bandwidth and latency.
The predictive connectivity manager collects data on the network quality of roads along a driving route through crowdsourcing, records a map of available mobile network quality in the area on a cloud server based on this data, and predicts network connection strength through data analysis based on this to optimize data and channel management.

Continental plans to showcase predictive connectivity for an optimized user experience at MWC 2018.

This enables seamless connectivity while driving through predictive operations, such as detecting locations with reduced communication bandwidth and speed delays in advance, and allocating alternative frequencies. This can facilitate the development of predictive proactive systems for future autonomous vehicles, such as determining driving routes and pre-downloading high-resolution, up-to-date maps.

"The automobile itself is becoming a mobile device, and various user experiences can be maximized through integration with users' smartphones," said Helmut Mach, President of Continental. "Continental plans to showcase an intelligent vehicle access solution utilizing a virtual smartphone key at MWC."
Keyless vehicle access system solutions enhance user convenience for vehicle owners, and rental car operators who run their businesses using vehicles can also enjoy a more convenient environment. AVIS Budget Group is already operating a mobile rental system through a partnership with Continental. These solutions enable market entry without requiring changes to in-vehicle electronics or architectural modifications depending on the vehicle manufacturer, model, and region, and facilitate simultaneous changes ranging from in-vehicle software to hardware.

In-vehicle communication devices, through integration with the driver's smartphone, enable a full range of operations, from checking tire pressure to seat positioning, air conditioning, and entertainment settings before boarding. Furthermore, they are evolving into an integrated HMI (Human Machine Interface) capable of managing hardware functions such as opening and closing windows or folding side mirrors.

In addition, to secure the system security that forms the basis of vehicle communication, Continental acquired Argus Cyber Security last year and plans to introduce a cloud-based platform for remote vehicle data access, along with multi-layered end-to-end vehicle cybersecurity solutions and services.

CEO Helf Mach stated that through their participation in MWC, they would showcase a "smartphone on wheels" that allows for integrated vehicle connectivity, thereby maximizing the experience for drivers and users.