AT&T Selects Amdocs for AT&T Drive Studio, New Center to Drive Connected-Car Innovation
Amdocs announced it has been selected by AT&T, the leader in the connected car, for the AT&T Drive Studio, a new center to spur the development of connected-car services and applications. AT&T announced its connected car initiative Jan. 6 at the 2014 Developer Summit alongside the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Expanding its longstanding AT&T relationship into the emerging connected car market, Amdocs also said it will enable AT&T to enhance its offering by supporting innovative business models with its auto industry partners. The solution will provide charging, billing and partner relationship management integrated with AT&T’s existing capabilities.
These unique capabilities will enable AT&T to split the connectivity charges for separate services occurring in the same car, so that consumer apps – such as navigation and entertainment – can be billed to consumers, while connectivity for car diagnostics, vehicle telematics and safety services may be included in an automaker’s subscription charge. This split-billing capability also opens up a host of promotional opportunities for auto OEMs, app and content providers and others in the connected car eco-system – facilitating, for example, offers for a free year of internet music service.
The new AT&T Drive Studio, based in Atlanta blocks away from the AT&T Foundry innovation center, will serve as a hub to create and demonstrate new solutions for the connected car, with the focus on safety, convenience and entertainment. The AT&T Drive Studio will enable auto manufacturers to explore new automotive connectivity solutions that could include 4G/LTE, cloud solutions, virtual assistants, data services and new entertainment offerings.