Europe overcoming border telematics hurdles

By: drivers.com staff
Date: Tuesday, 11. November 2008

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Michael Sena, president of Michael Sena Consulting, reckons that Europe’s fragmented system of providing telematics services to drivers is on its way to being updated.

In Europe, both EU member and non-member states are responsible for control of their police forces, ambulance and rescue services, as well as other social services inside their borders. Private companies such as Mondial or Securitas, which would like to offer services such as roadside assistance, security or other telematics-related services would like to transcend borders as their customers move around the continent. However, because of the formalities and protocols involved they currently register subsidiaries in each separate country where they operate.

Initiatives such as the Pan-European eCall system - started in 2002 by the European Commission and the ITS industry – encountered difficulties as they attempted to surmount trans-border problems. One of the difficulties was automotive OEMs' reluctance to install telematics systems in their vehicles before individual countries have the infrastructures to accept the messages that would be sent to them.

The non-profit foundation, Björn Steiger Stiftung, is offering to serve as the bridge between the vehicles and services in countries they pass through on a free basic. The service would not be limited to EU member states.

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