Skip to main content

App integration ‘commonplace within five years’

A new report by Juniper Research on the telematics sector has found that the number of in-vehicle apps in use is expected to reach 269 million by 2018, representing a more than fivefold increase on 2013’s figure. According to the report, Connected Cars: Consumer & Commercial Telematics and Infotainment 2014-2018, growth will be fuelled by solutions such as Apple’s CarPlay, which will promote in-vehicle apps to the mainstream. It also argues that app integration will be facilitated as standardised approac
July 2, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
A new report by 7194 Juniper Research on the Telematics sector has found that the number of in-vehicle apps in use is expected to reach 269 million by 2018, representing a more than fivefold increase on 2013’s figure.

According to the report, Connected Cars: Consumer & Commercial Telematics and Infotainment 2014-2018, growth will be fuelled by solutions such as Apple’s CarPlay, which will promote in-vehicle apps to the mainstream. It also argues that app integration will be facilitated as standardised approaches like MirrorLink are adopted this year by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), content providers and automotive entertainment specialists.

“By 2018 most new vehicles will come with integrated apps as standard,” says the report’s author, Anthony Cox. “After-market app integration will also be commonplace, as head-unit manufacturers launch increasingly sophisticated devices”.  However, he observed that as with smartphone apps, only a small proportion will create revenues for their creators, even though they will enhance the driving experience.

The report found that although the integration of apps into the vehicle will have a profound effect on traditional monetisation models, potentially denting revenues, two factors will favour embedded Telematics. Firstly, regulatory initiatives such as the eCall driver safety project and Brazil’s regulation Contran 245 governing stolen vehicles, will guarantee the take-up of embedded Telematics in several key geographical regions.

Secondly, it argued that the ability to split the Telematics “bill” pioneered by major operators, systems integrators and the 2246 GSMA, will allow for granular billing of infotainment and other services. This will particularly be the case as streaming and other advanced services become available in developed markets through LTE adoption.

Nevertheless, the report claims that widespread smartphone tethering and in-vehicle apps would continue to drive down the price of vehicle manufacturers’ own embedded Telematics infotainment services.

Related Content

  • December 21, 2015
    China passenger car telematics industry report 2015-2018
    The latest research by Research and Markets indicates that as Chinese passenger vehicle manufacturers accelerate to popularise telematics systems in 2015, smartphone integration and 4G LTE technologies have found wider application, and IVI (in-vehicle infotainment) and networking functions have got enriched and optimised to get better user experience.
  • July 16, 2012
    Adopting universal technology platforms for tolling
    Dave Marples of Technolution argues that the continuing development of tolling-specific onboard equipment is leading us up a blind alley. We should, he says, be looking to realise universal platforms with universal application. The near-future automobile contains information systems of a sophistication to rival a jet airliner of only a few years ago, yet is 'piloted' by a considerably less well-trained individual of highly variable mental and physical capacity, and operated in a hostile, unpredictable and p
  • July 17, 2012
    Growth of telematics-based pay as you drive car insurance systems
    Car insurance made cheaper by telematics has returned to news headlines in the UK this year. Will it really take off this time and can vehicle tracking provide an effective tool for enforcing or encouraging insurance compliance? Jon Masters reports Will 2012 go down as the year that telematics-based car insurance took off? In the UK at least, a groundswell of new policies, with premiums priced on the basis of tracked and analysed driving style, suggests a turning point has been reached. Some would argue t
  • June 30, 2016
    Smart cities ‘to ease traffic congestion, save 4.2 billion man-hours per year by 2021’
    Juniper Research has found that smart traffic management and smart parking initiatives, will save some 4.2 billion man-hours annually by 2021 - equivalent to each city driver saving nearly an entire working day per year. Juniper found that while the ‘smart city’ remains a relatively young concept, many cities are beginning to recognise the need to improve in terms of competitiveness and quality of life. Increasing urban populations are creating pressure on city resources, driving the need for new and eff