LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ford and AT&T are bringing high-speed connectivity and an even better owner experience to customers this year – with plans to connect more than 10 million customers to Ford SYNC® Connect within the next five years.
SYNC Connect, Ford’s new high-speed connectivity technology, adds levels of convenience to SYNC, the industry-leading in-car entertainment and communications system. Ford is introducing SYNC Connect in the United States and Canada this spring in the new Escape.
“Vehicle owners want the convenience that comes with being connected at home and on the go,” said Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer. “With SYNC Connect, we are able to provide features and services that make the car an even more seamless part of our customers’ connected lifestyles.”
With Ford SYNC Connect, Ford vehicle owners can:
- Remotely lock and unlock doors from anywhere
- Use the built-in GPS system to locate their parked vehicle on a map
- Remotely start the vehicle or schedule a start time
- View vehicle information, including fuel and battery level and tire pressure readings
SYNC Connect plays a key role in Ford’s connectivity strategy as part of Ford Smart Mobility, the plan to take Ford to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics.
SYNC Connect debuts this spring on the new Ford Escape. After the initial rollout in North America, SYNC Connect is launching in global markets, adding another 10 million connected vehicles by 2020.
“Connected car services are an important feature to consumers,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, Internet of Things, AT&T Mobility. “We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with Ford to deliver an enhanced connected experience to more Ford drivers.”
Ford SYNC
Ford SYNC is the world’s leading in-car entertainment and communications system, with more than 15 million vehicles equipped with the technology on the road worldwide.
Launched in 2007, Ford SYNC was the industry’s first system to widely and most affordably offer voice-activated technology to control smartphones. New-generation SYNC 3 features faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, a smartphone-like touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface for a growing number of Ford vehicles in North America.
Building on industry leadership
Ford was the first U.S.-based automaker to build AT&T network service into its cars in 2011 with the introduction of MyFord® Mobile – a smartphone and Web-based connected experience that enables electric vehicle owners to remotely connect their smartphone with the car to manage charging.
AT&T network service has been a standard feature in all Ford plug-in electric vehicles, including Ford Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi.
In 2014, Lincoln introduced MyLincoln Mobile powered by AT&T, enabling owners to access their vehicles using their smartphone. The capability allows owners to start, lock, unlock and locate their vehicle, as well as schedule remote starts.
Now, SYNC Connect expands on the relationship between Ford and AT&T, giving more North American customers the ability to remotely access their vehicles.
AT&T connected car leadership
In 2014, AT&T launched two major initiatives to lead innovation in the connected car space. The first was a pioneering connected car innovation center in Atlanta, called AT&T Drive Studio. It also launched a new global automotive solution and development platform, AT&T Drive.
A telematics leader, AT&T connects vehicles around the globe. In late 2015, AT&T added 1.6 million connected devices; nearly 1 million were connected cars.
Additionally, AT&T was the first major wireless carrier to launch a global SIM platform for cars. The platform lets automotive, consumer and M2M equipment makers use a single carrier to wirelessly connect products across the globe.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice services. We’re the world’s largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. In the U.S., our wireless network offers the nation’s strongest LTE signal and the most reliable 4G LTE network. We offer the best global wireless coverage*. And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and secure cloud solutions.
Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.
© 2015 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Signal strength and reliability claims based on nationwide carriers’ 4G LTE. Signal strength claim based ONLY on avg. 4G LTE signal strength. 4G LTE not available everywhere.
*Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; voice roaming; and world-capable smartphone and tablets in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.
Stay up to date on the latest news at CES by following along with these hashtags: #ATTDevSummit, #ATTVegas, #CES2016, #IoT.
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
