AT&T Drive Studio Adds Qualcomm

AT&T’s dedicated research facility for connected car innovation and research just signed up three new partners to collaborate on current and future smart car initiatives. According to the company, AT&T Drive Studio is the first carrier-owned facility of its kind and it will now benefit from the support of Qualcomm, RedBend and QuickPlay Media. 

“This is an exciting ecosystem and we are committed to leading the way to take the connected car to the next level for auto manufacturers and their drivers,” said Glenn Lurie, president, AT&T Emerging Enterprises and Partnerships, AT&T Mobility in a press statement. “That’s the essence of the AT&T Drive Studio, to bring together the best players in the auto industry ecosystem to collaborate and create the future faster.”

Qualcomm is no doubt the biggest of the three newly signed companies and will hopefully be able to contribute in a big way. Recently, the chipmaker unveiled a line of Snapdragon processers developed specifically for automotive use. 

“As the industry ushers in the 4G LTE connected car, Qualcomm Technologies and AT&T are focused on bringing their best-in-class solutions to consumers.  The Snapdragon Automotive Solutions portfolio combines application processors, 4G multi-mode LTE modems, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, GNSS navigation engines and vehicle-to-vehicle 802.11p DSRC technology with AT&T’s Global SIM solution to enable automakers looking to offer the next-generation connected car experience”, said Kanwalinder Singh, senior vice president of business development for Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Most recently, our joint vision was demonstrated in the very first 4G LTE car launch in the U.S.  We are excited to expand our long standing relationship with AT&T through the AT&T Drive Studio and together bring our combined innovation and expertise to the automotive industry.”

While Qualcomm will likely be helping to develop hardware components, RedBend was most probably tapped to help create automotive software for AT&T smart car platform. Quick Play Media is known for developing in-car video solutions, so it’s involvement will probably focus on developing a content platform.