Mercedes-Benz Fitted with In-car 3G System

A specially fitted Mercedes-Benz S-Class motor car has been demonstrating in-car UMTS services in Berlin. Contents are transferred into the test vehicle at an average transmission rate of 128 kBit/s. The car has been set up in a co-operation between DaimlerChrysler, Siemens, Sun Microsystems, T-Mobile, Jentro and MBDS/Nice University Sophia Antipolis.

DaimlerChrysler equipped the UMTS test vehicle with the appropriate operating units and monitors and the link to the car infrastructure and the specification of the UMTS services. T-Mobile provides the UMTS network and together with Siemens IC Mobile established the UMTS infrastructure in the test radio network in Berlin.

With JentroCar the Munich based Jentro AG supplies the central technology platform for networking and controlling the incar functions and services. The company is also responsible for the development of the user interface. The Jentro solution is based on Java technology from Sun Microsystems, who provide the backend server for holding the contents (portals, WWW, video streams, games etc.). Dr. Helmut Wilke, Managing Director of Sun Microsystems Germany and Austria: "Sun's vision of having intelligent service available anywhere and anytime is impressively demonstrated with the UMTS test vehicle. Java technology supplies the necessary flexible basis which is secure for the future." MBDS/University Nice Sophia Antipolis developed the prototypes of mobile Internet applications for the UMTS standard.

The UMTS services in the test vehicle cover a broad range of mobility and infotainment services. In addition to a live video conference with any remote partner, there is also a video monitoring system, access to traffic observation cameras and a wide range of entertainment, such as video films and a multi-player game. Also offered are news services, an electronic office as well as broadband access to the Mercedes-Benz portal and the internet. The offboard navigation system includes ample information, in part with video support, on interesting spots in the vicinity.

The UMTS S-Class is a pure test vehicle and was equipped especially for this purpose with in-car PCs, with two flip-up 15-inch TFT monitors recessed into the seat backs and wireless keyboards for the use of the UMTS services in the rear. In a user-friendly way via an inbuilt touchscreen monitor the driver and front seat passenger can access services such as a navigation and traffic observation camera, which switches off automatically above a speed of 6 km/h for safety reasons.'"

Posted to the site on 7th June 2002