Car Connectivity Consortium Adds Ixonos

HELSINKI, Finland: June 14, 2011: Ixonos, a world leader in creating wireless technologies, software and solutions for mobile devices and services, joins the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) to develop sophisticated in-vehicle connectivity solutions. The consortium was launched in February 2011 by eleven companies, including major vehicle manufacturers and consumer electronics makers. Ixonos is the first non-device or non-car-manufacturer to join the cross-industry initiative.

Ixonos has longstanding experience in designing and developing connected devices as well as mobile and web services. Extending this experience into the automotive industry is a logical next step for the company. "Some three dozen of our experts have already been working with Terminal Mode-related solutions in the past 18 months", says Roope Suomalainen, Director at Ixonos and representative in the CCC's Ecosystem workgroup.

Terminal Mode is designed to become an industry standard for connecting mobile devices to vehicles. By connecting in-car systems such as digital displays, controls and car audio systems with mobile devices, consumers can effortlessly use Internet services 'hands free' via the car's in-built controls. Terminal Mode opens up a host of new opportunities for developing innovative informative and entertainment applications for consumers. It can, for example, enable car manufacturers and consumers to gain valuable information about the car's performance and consumers' driving habits. "Ixonos has been a key player in enabling these future possibilities by already implementing Terminal Mode on several operating systems, with the development work on Android currently in progress", Suomalainen continues.

"Another major benefit of Terminal Mode to consumers is that the standard includes a certification process which ensures that any phone and car supporting the standard will work together. There will be plenty of both!", comments Damien De Maya, Program Manager, Automotive, from Ixonos and representative in the CCC's Technical working group and Certification working group.

Through its involvement in the consortium, Ixonos expects to gain new contacts and potential cooperation partners in the automotive and related industries. "Ixonos is an optimal development partner for companies developing in-vehicle services. With our user experience design capabilities, we can, for example, help create useful applications and services that are specially designed to minimize driver distraction", says SVP Kari Liuska from Ixonos. "Furthermore, with full device creation capability, we can design and implement for our customers connected devices that are fully compatible with the new industry standards that are being developed", he adds.

Ixonos' unique experience in the world of mobility translates into tangible benefits, such as faster time-to-market for our customer companies' services and products and unparalleled user experiences for consumers.