TORONTO – Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX:RCI.B) and U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Corp. say they will offer Canadians a high-speed Internet access in their vehicles through a new service announced Thursday.
The cost of the project, pricing for the services and dates for the rollout weren’t included in a joint statement issued by the companies, which have two of North America’s largest telecommunications networks.
They said the service will be available from auto manufacturers that deploy Sprint’s Velocity system in Canada and it will leverage Rogers’ wireless networks to connected vehicles on the road.
Vehicles with Sprint Velocity — which has already been deployed in the United States — will have access to news, sports scores, weather alerts, driving directions and vehicle diagnostics via an in-dash touch screen, they say.
Sprint Velocity also provides connectivity for mobile devices in the car including smartphones and tablets.
Rogers says Canadians “want to be connected from anywhere, at any time.”
And with over 20 million vehicles on the road in Canada, said Rogers vice-president Mansell Nelson, “there is a strong growth opportunity for Rogers in the connected auto segment.”
The connected car market is expected to be a booming business, with research suggesting nearly 100 million connected cars will be on the road by 2016.