LightSquared hopes to get into the connected car business, announcing today that it has partnered with Smarter Car, a new company that aims to offer mobile services that enable automobile dealerships and drivers to access critical data, ranging from vehicle maintenance diagnostics to location sharing. The two companies have signed a wholesale agreement.
Under the agreement, Smarter Car will sell devices and connectivity directly to automobile dealerships that will in turn offer these as options to customers when they purchase new cars.
The Smarter Car device will attach to an on-board diagnostics (OBD)-specified port and, using LightSquared's LTE network, will allow drivers and dealerships to use smartphones, tablets or PCs to access and analyze a variety of data about the car.
LightSquared says its satellite will ensure that users of the Smarter Car device who are out of cellular range always have access to LightSquared's network, regardless of where they are located in the U.S.
"Smarter Car will connect cars with people, and using LightSquared's network we will be able to create an informative, real-time experience for consumers and dealers," said Lonnie Benson, CEO of Smarter Car, in a press release. "LightSquared will allow us to take advantage of the most advanced wireless technology to create valuable applications that will help dealers and drivers maintain the value and improve the safety of their vehicles."'