Mercedes-Benz has installed a Motorola wireless communications system in its 1999 sedans that will put drivers in immediate contact with emergency services throughout the United States.
The TeleAid system, produced by Motorola's Telematics Communication Unit, includes a global positioning system and cell-phone receivers and antennae.
In the event of a roadside emergency, a driver pushes an SOS button inside the car that initiates a call to a Mercedes representative who, in turn, contacts local emergency crews. Pressing the magic button also transmits the location of the car, information about the customer, and make of the car. The system automatically relays the information if an accident occurs. For more routine queries, other buttons in the car put a driver in touch with Mercedes' roadside-assistance centers.
Brian Gratch, marketing director for the Motorola Telematics communications group, said the company has eight different types of automobile communications systems, which are already installed in Nissan, Ford, and GM cars.
The main Telematics unit sits in the trunk of the car, and sends and receives signals from two cell antennae that are located on the roof and underneath the car. The GPS unit also has its own antenna and receives signals from satellites to determine the location of the car at any point in time.
One complication of such systems in the United States is competing digital cell-phone standards: Time-Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the primary format used in Europe and Asia.
Since complete geographic coverage is a must for emergency-response systems, the cell phones must use a standard that will be able to hook into networks wherever a car is traveling. Currently, the only solution is to use analog cell networks, Gratch said.
He predicts that in two to three years vehicles will be equipped with more sophisticated systems that use digital signals to transmit Internet content, email, and entertainment services.
"We've created this pipe to bring a whole host of services, but mostly focused on security and safety," he said. "When digital wireless and packet switched data evolve, then we'll be able to deliver a broad array of services."
General Motors' OnStar system was one of the first wireless communications systems for automobiles. It allows drivers to communicate with GM response centers when they require assistance –- such as remote door unlocking -- or emergency services. The voice-activated phone included with the system can be used as an ordinary cell phone, as well. Gratch said that Motorola will be responsible for installing and upgrading GM's OnStar system beginning this year.
