Airbiquity provides wireless communications solutions that enable product suppliers and service providers in the telematics, portable navigation device (PND) and machine-to-machine (M2M) industries to deliver wireless data reliably and ubiquitously. Used by some of the largest automotive manufacturers in their telematics service offerings, Airbiquity's patented aqLink technology provides data communications over digital wireless voice networks. VIAaq, Airbiquity's turnkey managed data service, provides seamless connectivity between service providers and a vehicle or PND device for a relatively low cost of entry.

Telematics @ China interviewed David Jumpa, Senior Vice President of Global Business Development, Airbiquity Inc. He detailed Airbiquity's new open Telematics framework "VIAaq" and looked deeply into how to bring it in China market.



David Jumpa—— Senior VP of Global Business Development

David brings more than 16 years of senior management, operations, and engineering leadership experience at wireless carriers and several start-up companies. At Airbiquity, David quickly identified unrecognized new markets and new business relationships, defining and implementing a course of action leading to the start of Airbiquity’s automotive program. He is credited for starting and leading the execution of Airbiquity’s automotive business.


As Chinese companies and users are still not familiar with your company, could you briefly describe the background, business line and major products of Airbiquity?

David Jumpa: Airbiquity provides wireless communications solutions that enable product suppliers and service providers in the telematics, portable navigation device (PND) and machine-to-machine (M2M) industries to deliver wireless data reliably and ubiquitously. Used by some of the largest automotive manufacturers in their telematics service offerings, Airbiquity’s patented aqLink technology provides data communications over digital wireless voice networks. VIAaq, Airbiquity’s turnkey managed data service, provides seamless connectivity between service providers and a vehicle or PND device for a relatively low cost of entry.

Founded in 1997, Airbiquity develops a unique technology that transmits data through wireless voice networks. Given the limitation of wireless data networks, Airbiquity has developed technologies that use voice networks to transmit data. As a result, the company is able to provide a consistent and seamless usage model to subscribers and a common platform for mobile developers.

Airbiquity has found a niche in the automotive market. The company works closely with automakers, such as GM, BMW and Ford, as well as their Tier One suppliers to deliver telematics solutions. Airbiquity’s success in telematics will lead it into new global markets.


Could you detail the structure and concept of your open Telematics platform “VIAaq”? Has there been any example of VIAaq’s success in the market?

David Jumpa: VIAaq is a managed Telematics data service that makes it easy for automotive OEMs and Personal Navigation Device (PND) suppliers to custom-design vehicle-centric applications. As its core communication protocol, the turnkey VIAaq service uses aqLink, Airbiquity’s end-to-end wireless data communications technology. VIAaq provides seamless connectivity between telematics service providers and a vehicle or PND device for a low cost of entry. By using VIAaq, OEMs and PND suppliers eliminate operations and maintenance costs associated with hosting or managing their own data center.

Airbiquity contracts 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. 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.


We have specially interviewed BMW on NGTP and helped Chinese companies have some knowledge about it. What are the sameness and difference between VIAaq and NGTP?

David Jumpa: NGTP covers both the architecture and protocols of telematics services. Our VIAaq solution focuses on decoupling components within the architecture and the interface between components, but not the protocol aspect. We believe the automobile OEMs prefer to have their own protocols instead of using an open standard.


Telematics terminals installed in vehicles can collect a lot of status information about vehicles. However, automakers want to control a certain part of the information and even prohibit TSP access. How does VIAaq ensure that automakers have control of the sensitive data? Especially when VIAaq serves several automakers, how to ensure the confidentiality and independence of the sensitive data?

David Jumpa: Our core technology and managed hosted service provides a high level of IT security our OEM customers look for today. Airbiquity has made significant investments with our partners to insure the highest level of security. Our customers have specific bandwidth-efficient protocol implementations that they develop to meet their use cases. The data is parsed based on OEM identifiers, that is then transmitted using Airbiquity’s aqLink modem.


VIAaq is new, so how to ensure that it has support from other CPs, SPs, mobile operators, and TCU providers? The Chinese market is especially different, so how will Airbiquity better cooperate with local companies on the industry chain to provide services for automakers and users?

David Jumpa: Airbiquity currently has strong relationships and contractual partnerships to support the growing Telematics (Automotive OEMs and PNDs) eco-system. Our focus over the next 18 months is to develop a solid partner value chain like we have done in the United States and Europe, as well as to execute on our first Telematics Chinese OEM deployment for 2009.


How’s the Chinese Telematics market from the perspective of Airbiquity? What’s the strategy of Airbiquity in China? Has Airbiquity already had plans in China?

David Jumpa: Airbiquity has been working with Chinese suppliers over the past 18 months to evaluate the Chinese market potential. China automotive sales continue to rise and the market is positioned to have Telematics services made available by OEMs. Our strategy is to work closely with our existing partners and OEM customers to expand the service within China.  We are additionally seeking new partnerships for unique service offerings as well.