HUGHES Telematics Enters Agreement with IBM and Oracle...

HUGHES Telematics announced that it has entered into agreements with IBM and Oracle for enhancing its portfolio of global technology relationships. IBM and Oracle have agreed to provide technological ingredients needed for the delivery of HUGHES Telematics’ consumer solution to partners in the automotive industry.

IBM worked with HUGHES Telematics for building its operations center, a hub providing connectivity to all the HUGHES Telematics-equipped vehicles. This partnership is expected to lead to the implementation phase of HUGHES Telematics’ systems in Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler vehicles.

“Telematics and vehicle ICT are moving from the conceptual phase to strategic execution,” said Thilo Koslowski, vice president automotive at Gartner, Inc. “Partnerships between telematics providers and experienced IT leaders are a critical success factor in developing successful offerings and realizing the connected vehicle.”

“IBM’s significant experience and strength in developing world-class operational hubs will ensure that our customers will have an exceptional experience every time they connect with us, whether from behind the wheel or behind the keyboard,” said Erik Goldman, president of HUGHES Telematics.

HUGHES Telematics announced that it has selected Oracle’s database and applications software for its customer- and business-facing systems. Oracle’s databases, middleware and applications will enable HUGHES to offer a standards-based adaptable platform for services in the future, along with good customer experience.

IBM and Oracle are thereby providing two vital elements in developing a telematics platform which has been engineered for integration with automotive manufacturers’ and dealers’ EDI systems, specialized call centers and third-party content providers. This infrastructure is expected to dynamically provision and manage services.

The HUGHES Telematics project is most suitable for IBM in the automotive CRM and telematics field. The telematics operations center to be developed with HUGHES Telematics will support both subscription-based and transactional services, automotive customer relationship management and third-party service integration. The deployment of the network with no legacy hurdles will enable HUGHES Telematics to offer services completely new to the market.

Oracle’s call center and customer billing applications, and the ERP and database software will provide a scalable solution that will meet the dynamic needs of the automotive market.

HUGHES Telematics will provide its telematics solution in Mercedes-Benz USA and Chrysler LLC vehicles in 2009. The company is developing the next-generation of telematics solutions by designing, engineering and managing vehicle- and driver-centric solutions for increasing vehicle value, ownership experience, convenience, efficiency, safety and security.