4.1 Who should run the global connectivity agenda? Globalization of any Is there such an entity as a global Given the complexity and cost of connectivity offering is connected car program manager? Most deployment of global connectivity (in participants agreed that a two tier terms of local resources, technology, a complex undertaking. approach was essential, “Ideally, that’s compliance, data management and so on), Multiple technical, going to be a centralized person that is participants agreed that are most are likely going to say, this is going to be platformed, to look to OEMs to drive its rollout. Are regulatory, cultural and we’re going to invest in this as a company they up to the challenge? “The OEMs have strategic issues must be and run it this way with this kind of engineered the critical mass and I think technology, ecosystem and partnership. they’re now getting to the level where they taken into account and But then there’s going to be a regional can leverage what they’ve achieved to closely monitored. person that understands, say, Asia, create scale and globalize.” and that person knows exactly who the Increased collaboration between players connected car managers are in each of the in the connectivity value chain will need primary countries.” to underpin global deployments, “We’re Will we see OEMs partnering with global looking across the ecosystem for smaller service providers of telematics or do companies to provide technologies in domestic-only telematics service providers partnerships more on a broad base have an important role to play? The jury and what we wonder is whether the is still out. As one participant said, “Is the connectivity space would be helpful to market going to move toward globalized have an expanded set of alliances between organizations with local offerings or will we suppliers and insurance companies, the see outfits in, say, Malaysia staking a claim serious providers. Although we recognize for this work and setting up in the local this would be very difficult to do because connectivity space?” of the profit of who owns what.” “Can you scale some of these sales processes globally? The answer’s yes and no. For example, one OEM uses our core operations, those things we can scale across the globe; our costs and our application obviously need to be modified for different markets.” 16 | The quest for telematics 4.0