SBD is an independent technical research and consulting firm that has been analyzing the telematics service market worldwide for over a decade. The company recently released their 2010 annual report titled “The Complete Guide to Telematics in Europe and the USA” providing an in-depth account of vehicle manufacturers’ telematics solutions. The report costs $3200.
According to the report, despite many years of slow growth within the telematics industry, vehicle manufacturers are beginning to accelerate the launch of new services in order to meet consumer expectations for a connected in-car experience. Many new services are in the works for next year, both by vehicle manufacturers that have a strong history within the telematics industry, in addition to several new entrants to the market. Currently over 130 services are offered by 22 different brands in the US and Europe.
The challenge for many vehicle manufacturers is that there are still very few similarities in how all of these services are implemented. Vehicle manufacturers use different suppliers, service providers and service architectures. They are offered to customers in different ways and across different markets. Even services that may appear simple to the end-user often have a complicated and extensive service value chain. Without a comprehensive and easy-to-use benchmark of these different approaches, key stakeholders within the telematics industry will be unable to learn many of the key lessons and consequently face higher risks when deciding future strategic direction. SBD’s interactive guide overcomes this challenge by providing a comprehensive outline of how vehicle manufacturers have implemented their services. This guide ensures that users will never have to look elsewhere for factual information relating to telematics services in Europe and the USA.
For the first time ever, the report is in an interactive presentation format. The new, unique format has an intuitive user interface allowing a considerable amount of market and technical information to be quickly and easily found in one source. It enables users to quickly switch between general market overviews to detailed structure diagrams of specific services by simply clicking on the relevant manufacturer or service.
The key features of the 270 page annual telematics report include:
- All available services by vehicle manufacturer in Europe and the USA
- Clear explanations and definitions of telematics services
- Overview of system architectures including suppliers, user interface and simplified electrical schematics
- Summary of geographical availability, business model and pricing
- Communication and infrastructure flow diagrams for each manufacturer’s services
- Section 1: Available services by vehicle manufacturer – Matrices showing vehicle manufacturer telematics services by region
- Section 2: Definition of services – Definitions for the different telematics services listed in the matrices
- Section 3: Overview of systems – Suppliers, simplified system schematics and typical user interface
- Section 4: Service cost and availability – Pricing of the services offered and countries in which they operate
- Section 5: Communication flow diagrams – How data and voice are routed for all vehicle manufacturer’s services
About SBD
SBD research specializes in the design and development of vehicle security, vehicle crash analysis, telematics and ITS systems. According to their website, SBD’s mission is to provide customers with the knowledge, insight and understanding they need to develop world-class telematics and vehicle security products and improved cost of ownership performance. Each year the company produces several technical trends reports and conducts in-depth end-user surveys. This unique research gives SBD a unique insight and expertise into telematics-related industries. SBD helps vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers bridge that gap between system design and actual market needs. Their expert researchers understand the global market and complex technical requirements, enabling them to help plan cost-effective systems that customers value and are willing to pay for.