HARMAN and Viasat: Satellite Calls From Your Dashboard
HARMAN, the Samsung subsidiary best known for its in-car audio and connectivity hardware, announced a collaboration with Viasat, the satellite communications company, to bring voice calling over satellite directly into vehicles. The capability runs on HARMAN’s Ready Connect Telematics Control Unit and relies on Viasat’s satellite network and licensed spectrum to provide voice service in areas where cellular coverage is unavailable or intermittent. The companies framed the feature as a safety complement to existing cellular systems rather than a replacement, aimed particularly at drivers on rural or remote roads.
The announcement also disclosed plans for messaging, emergency SOS and basic telematics services — including remote diagnostics and stolen vehicle tracking — through a low-data-rate satellite connection. A longer-term roadmap toward broadband satellite capability was mentioned, though no timeline was offered. Neither company announced which automakers, if any, have committed to incorporating the technology into production vehicles.
HARMAN Ready Ride: Connectivity for the Other Two Wheels
HARMAN also unveiled Ready Ride, a connectivity platform designed specifically for the two-wheeler market. The system packages a ruggedized telematics control unit, a software stack, cellular connectivity and an OEM back-end into a single platform intended to lower both development costs and time to market for motorcycle manufacturers. The hardware features IP69-certified sealing and is validated to withstand the shock and vibration conditions typical of motorcycle use.
According to the research firm Berg Insight, fewer than 5 percent of motorcycles globally are connected via telematics — a gap HARMAN is betting Ready Ride can help close. The platform’s development roadmap includes theft alerts, stolen vehicle tracking, remote vehicle functions and support for Advanced Ride Assistance Systems, such as forward collision warnings for riders. The unit is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis chip and supports over-the-air software updates, allowing manufacturers to add features without requiring dealership visits.
Quectel: Radar That Senses the Road Ahead and Behind
Quectel Wireless Solutions used its MWC presence to showcase a portfolio of millimeter-wave radar systems designed for automotive applications. The demonstrations included a tailgate kick-to-open radar, a forward collision warning system and a blind spot detection application, alongside two digital key offerings and a 5G telematics control unit. The forward collision warning radar operates in the 77GHz band and can detect targets at ranges exceeding 220 meters and track up to 40 dynamic objects simultaneously, supporting both passenger vehicles and two-wheelers.
The company emphasized that its radar products comply with AEC-Q automotive reliability standards and are designed for compact integration into vehicles from global manufacturers. The company described its goal as combining precision sensing with secure digital access technologies to accelerate development of connected mobility solutions. The demonstrations were live, allowing conference attendees to observe the gesture recognition and collision detection capabilities in action on the show floor.
Aptiv, Wind River and Verizon: Vehicles That Share What They See
Aptiv and its software subsidiary Wind River unveiled a proof-of-concept system in which vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance sensors can share their environmental perception data with other vehicles in near real time, using Verizon’s 5G network and edge computing infrastructure. In the demonstration, one vehicle’s radar and camera data is transmitted through Verizon’s Edge Transportation Exchange platform to a second vehicle, where it is incorporated into that vehicle’s own sensor processing — effectively allowing a car to respond to hazards that its own sensors cannot yet see.
Unlike earlier vehicle-to-everything pilots that required direct interoperability agreements between individual automakers, the Aptiv and Wind River approach relies on hardware already common in modern vehicles and standardized software interfaces to a carrier-hosted edge application. That design, the companies argued, makes the system far more scalable than previous cooperative driving efforts. Beyond collision avoidance, the architecture is envisioned as a foundation for cooperative traffic management, enhanced navigation and longer-term automated driving support.