CES 2020: Land Rover Defender features dual eSIM connectivity
Land Rover is showcasing its dual-eSIM connectivity at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, the world’s largest consumer electronics show.
The new Defender 110 is the first vehicle with two embedded modems for enhanced connectivity, while Jaguar Land Rover’s new Pivi Pro touchscreen infotainment also shares electronic hardware with the latest smartphones.
The Pivi Pro system allows customers to make full use of New Defender’s Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology, without compromising its ability to stream music and connect to apps on the move. With its own designated LTE modem and eSIM, the SOTA technology can operate in the background, without affecting the day-to-day connectivity provided by the separate modem and eSIM in the infotainment module.
The always-on and always-connected Pivi Pro set-up sits at the heart of New Defender’s cabin and its 10-inch high-resolution touchscreen allows customers to control all aspects of the vehicle using the same processing hardware as the latest smartphones.
In addition, customers can connect two mobile devices to the infotainment head unit at once using Bluetooth, so the driver and passenger can enjoy hands-free functionality concurrently without the need to swap connections.
Says Peter Virk, Director of Connected Car and Future Technology, Jaguar Land Rover:
“With one LTE modem and eSIM dedicated to the Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology and the same set-up looking after music streaming and apps, New Defender has the digital capacity to keep customers connected, updated and entertained at all times anywhere in the world. You could liken the design to a brain, with each half enjoying its own connection for unrivalled and uninterrupted service. Like the brain, one side of the system looks after logical functions, like SOTA, while the other takes care of more creative tasks.”
Pivi Pro has its own battery, so the system is always on and able to respond immediately on start-up. As a result, the navigation is ready to accept new destinations the moment the driver sits in the vehicle. Customers can also download updates, so the system is always using the latest software – including navigation mapping data – without the need to visit retailers for updates to be installed.
The LTE connectivity behind Jaguar Land Rover’s infotainment also allows New Defender to roam across multiple networks in different regions to optimise connectivity, so customers suffer minimal interruptions caused by coverage blackspots from individual providers. In addition, the cloud-based architecture provided by CloudCar makes it easy to access and use content and services on the move and will even support in-car parking payments when New Defender hits UK streets this spring.
New Defender 110 is priced from £45,240 in the UK. For more information go to www.landrover.co.uk
