As the connected car gains momentum, the telecom industry is responding by stepping up purchases of companies with technology and services in the arena. Here are some of the most important connected car acquisitions related to the telecom industry that took place over the course of 2016:
-Samsung announced a deal in November to buy Harman for $8 billion in a bid to boost its position in the automotive electronics and connected car market. Harman is a tier-one automotive supplier focused on audio, infotainment, security and other services for the connected car, and counts customers that include General Motors and Tesla.
-Verizon Communications made two significant connected car-related acquisitions this year. In November, it completed its $2.4 billion purchase of Fleetmatics, which joined its Verizon Telematics business. Fleetmatics brought with it more than 42,000 customers, about 826,000 subscribers and around 1,200 employees.
Verizon also acquired privately held automotive software platform company Telogis for an undisclosed amount. The company focused on cloud-based mobile enterprise management software, and customers for its platform included Ford, Volvo, GM, Isuzu and Mack.
-Cisco bought privately held “internet of things” company Jasper – which powers AT&T’s connected car platform – in March, for $1.4 billion.
-Qualcomm’s in-process $47 billion acquisition of NXP Semiconductor (which it is reportedly trying to close early) is expected to have implications for the connected car market. The purchase of NXP strengthens Qualcomm’s position across multiple IoT markets, but NXP is a recognized leader in supplying chips for automotive infotainment, networking and safety systems.
-Intel added a string of automotive-related companies to its portfolio this year. In May, Intel agreed to buy Itseez, which focuses on real-world computer imaging for embedded systems; it expects Itseez’s technology to be used in deep-learning-based computer vision applications, including autonomous driving. Intel also added Yogitech to its IoT group; the company develops advanced driver assistance systems and other functional safety solutions for autonomous machines. Arynga, which offers an over-the-air software update platform for vehicles, was purchased and added to Intel’s Wind River IoT business.
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