"Until recently the number of electronic control units in the vehicle connected directly or indirectly to the cloud has been extremely limited and the demand for updates was low.

"But uploading new functions, greater system complexity as well as the high need for security and safety has created a strong need for over-the-air updates." says Helmut Matschi, member of the Executive Board at Continental and head of the Interior Division.

"Continental and Inmarsat are now setting out to enable over-the-air updates around the globe for the entire vehicle electronics over Inmarsat's satellite network at the simple push of a button."

Together with Inmarsat, the industry leader in global, mobile satellite communications, Continental will be able to deliver over-the-air updates across the globe through a single network. The growing number of connected vehicles worldwide are driving an increased frequency of updates that demand a scalable, global solution.

Inmarsat operates multiple geostationary satellite constellations that provide a two-way data connection combined with a global broadcast capability to enable rapid, responsive and efficient over-the-air updates to vehicles everywhere. This will allow Continental's customers to deploy worldwide update campaigns at the push of a button, bypassing the complexity of dealing with multiple mobile network operators.

The cooperation between the companies will also enable vehicles to leverage intelligent routing over satellite and terrestrial wireless (mobile, WiFi) networks to achieve the best quality of service, least cost, and highest availability.

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