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SEATTLE, Wash. – (March 11, 2008) – Airbiquity Inc. today
announced a contract with Ford Motor Company to provide its VIAaq
Software as a Service offering to the automaker’s SYNC in-vehicle
communications system.
Ford SYNC – developed with Microsoft – connects people and their
portable devices in the vehicle, including media players and
Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. The technology is available today on 12
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles and is on track to reach 1 million
sales in early 2009. Later this year, SYNC will be offered exclusively
on nearly every new Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle.
Ford selected Airbiquity’s aqLink product and VIAaq service because of
Airbiquity’s proven reliability in the global telematics market. “Our
partnership with Ford represents a key milestone for Airbiquity’s VIAaq
communication service,” says Kamyar Moinzadeh, president and CEO for
Airbiquity. “Ford's use of our software with SYNC further demonstrates
our ability to provide reliable, practical communications solutions that
address needs of today’s drivers and provide the infrastructure
necessary to respond to technology needs in the future.”
Using Airbiquity's patented aqLink wireless data communications
technology, VIAaq provides an end-to-end communication system for the
automotive and portable navigation device (PND) industries. The
technology allows for seamless data transfer, including vehicle
diagnostics, between telematics service providers and the vehicle using
cellular voice networks and Bluetooth connections to the driver’s own
cell phone rather than relying on conventional data channels. This
approach to data transfer translates into broader coverage areas and a
reduced overall cost of entry for automakers and PND suppliers that
offer products enabled with Bluetooth technology.
VIAaq also provides access to a variety of telematics service providers
and hosts support for those services. In this way, VIAaq eliminates
operations and maintenance expenses associated with hosting or managing
an independent data center, lowering the overall cost of entry into the
telematics arena. VIAaq’s adaptive service also provides a flexible
architecture to allow for expanded service offerings as mobile
technologies grow and change over time.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets
across six continents. With about 260,000 employees and about 100 plants
worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include
Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford's products, please visit
www.fordvehicles.com.
About Airbiquity Inc.
Airbiquity provides wireless data communications solutions that enable
product suppliers and service providers in the M2M and telematics
industries to deliver reliable and ubiquitous wireless data services.
Used by some of the largest automotive manufacturers globally in their
telematics service offerings, Airbiquity’s patented aqLink technology
provides data communications over digital wireless voice networks.
VIAaq, Airbiquity’s turnkey managed Telematics data service, provides
seamless connectivity between telematics service providers and a vehicle
or PND device for a relatively low cost of entry. To learn more about
Airbiquity, please visit their web site
www.airbiquity.com.
Airbiquity, aqLink and VIAaq are trademarks of Airbiquity Inc. SYNC is a
trademark of the Ford Motor Company.
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Contact:
Kristin Mattison
(206) 770-7091
kristin.mattison@porternovelli.com
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