Orange said the partnership will focus on the development of leisure and entertainment services for drivers and passengers
Spanish carmaker SEAT and mobile operator Orange Spain have signed an agreement with the aim of promoting new advances in the development and use of the connected car.
The partners said that the new deal focuses on three main lines of action – to improve the experience of vehicle occupants by developing connected car innovations, offer the digital home or office experience to car users, and implement a loyalty programme that promotes the frequent use of new connectivity and mobility solutions they launch onto the market.
“This partnership opens up a large collaborative space for both companies that are pursuing a common goal – promote the use of the connected car and make the car user’s experience easier and more efficient,” said Arantxa Alonso, head of business development at SEAT.
“This strategic agreement with SEAT is a great step for Orange in its strategy of connected objects and Big Data and opens the door to innovations and new developments surrounding cars of the future, which will contribute to helping us achieve our goal of connecting our customers with what truly matters most to them,” said Luis Santos, director of innovation and new digital services at Orange Spain.
In addition, both companies will work on providing leisure and entertainment services for drivers and other passengers. The initial proposals of this collaboration will include music, audiovisual and learning content, while guaranteeing the maximum safety of the occupants.
SEAT and Orange will also launch a cross-company loyalty and frequent use programme of all the connectivity and mobility solutions they are going to put on the market in relation to the connected car.
In May 2017, SEAT and compatriot urban mobility solutions provider Saba had signed an agreement to provide services to the vehicle mobility ecosystem including smart parking.
Under the terms of the agreement, SEAT added Saba to its ecosystem in order to create new services that facilitate drivers’ mobility, with new parking related functions.
Among others, the partners are studying the way to offer a mobile reservation and payment system for parking spaces, which will enable Saba clients to make electronic payments for services and which will be included in the digital solutions that SEAT is currently working on.
The partners are also working in the Parkfinder 2.0 project, which will enable both companies to offer drivers real-time information on which parking spaces are available and recommend a car park according the real needs of each client, among others. The two companies will also explore other services associated with the time vehicles spend parked.
