Reliance Jio has inked a deal with US-based AirWire to use AirWire as the backend for its ‘Jio Car Connect’ device announced in September last year, reports the Economic Times. The telecom operator mentions that it is in talks with automobile companies as well to integrate the devices in cars. The On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) device will be manufactured in India by Jio, and can be plugged into a car’s OBD module to record and track engine and other vehicular related data. Once plugged in, the device records data from the vehicle’s sensors and displays it on a mobile app. Note that AirWire offers connected car IoT solutions including an LTE mobile hotspot device, with WiFi, LTE broadcasts, voice services, etc., along with supporting mobile apps. MediaNama has written to Jio asking what kind of vehicular data the new service will record, who will have access to this data, and where the data will be stored: locally on a user’s mobile device, or on an online database. We have also asked them about when the service is scheduled to launch and pricing details. When reviewed in September, Jio’s OBD device was still in a testing phase, and included features like car WiFi built-in. This would provide each vehicle with a virtual identity via an IP address, and allows interconnection with other connected cars. The device can also be used to record traffic details and share alerts in real-time in case the car gets into an accident. Vehicular data collection: What’s more…
