AT&T and Daimler Trucks North America go global

AT&T and Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) are taking wireless connectivity for DTNA’s heavy-duty trucks outside North America for the first time.

Daimler Trucks to connect with AT&T. (Photo: Daimler)

AT&T provides connectivity for DTNA’s Detroit Connect platform across the U.S. and Canada. The Detroit Connect platform is installed on all new DTNA’s Freightliner Cascadia trucks built for customers in those countries. The relationship will now expand to cover trucks built for the Australian and European markets for 2018 model year Freightliners and newer.

The new Cascadia sets new standards in fuel efficiency, safety technologies and the latest connectivity solutions, DTNA said. Detroit Connect, connected by AT&T, enables enhanced safety reporting, powertrain diagnostics and software, and features over-the-air updates and fuel efficiency analytics capabilities for vehicles across North America.

New multi-year agreements cover Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

AT&T has reached other milestones in the connected car space. According to the company, it has accomplished the following:

• It has 24 million connected cars on the AT&T network, and added 2 million this year.
• AT&T connects more than 3 million fleet vehicles, specifically supporting small business, enterprise and government customers.
• The company has relationships with 29 global brands including Airstream, Audi, BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, GMC, Honda, Volvo and much more. AT&T has worked with its partners on 4G LTE connectivity, enhanced infotainment services and greater Wi-Fi accessibility.
• The company’s global SIM provides internet of things (IoT) connectivity across 500 carriers and 200+ countries and territories. AT&T also connects cars in 57 countries, including 12 where infotainment is enabled through Wi-Fi hotspots.

“We’ve had tremendous success in launching our proprietary connected vehicle platform with AT&T” said Jason Krajewski, director of connectivity at Daimler Trucks North America. “Working with AT&T, we will expand our connectivity services and connected vehicle portfolio to more vehicles and more regions.”

“Daimler Trucks North America is the industry leader in bringing IoT connectivity and innovative solutions to long-haul trucking industry,” said Chris Penrose, president, internet of things (IoT) Solutions at AT&T. “Broadening our collaboration outside North America for the first time will bring the benefits of efficiency, safety and performance to customers on a global scale.”