Deepika Agrawal 
Connected vehicle solutions provider Harman has showcased its latest automotive connectivity products at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. The products, including the Ready Connect 5G Telematics Control Unit (TCU), are designed to add value for automakers as well as reduce overall cost of implementation. The 5G TCU underpins a critical technology to provide in-vehicle connected experiences for occupants.
The product is capable of receiving relevant traffic notifications to enhance communication between the car and the surrounding environment, offering a safe and amplified in-cabin experience. When combined with Harman’s SaaS situational awareness offering, it opens up the possibility of unlimited new applications and connected services for OEMs and their customers.
Harman has collaborated with companies like Samsung and Traffic Technology Services (TTS) to enhance its product technologies. Leveraging expertise from its parent company Samsung, Harman developed its smart conformal antenna deployed in the TCU, resulting in optimal packaging design with integrated antenna sub-system and superior connectivity performance. In collaboration with TTS, the 5G TCU can enable real-time traffic information pertinent to a driver’s route, without having to rely on roadside or in-vehicle sensors.
The 5G TCU represents a significant advancement in automotive connectivity, offering rich in-cabin experiences for consumers while reducing time to market and engineering efforts for OEMs. Improved in-vehicle connected mobility experiences focus on entertainment, productivity, and enhanced situational awareness. A predeveloped suite of software applications, such as vehicle diagnostics, reduce deployment and integration time for OEMs. “As the automotive industry continues to transform and embrace emerging technological breakthroughs and heightened consumer expectations, Harman continues to provide innovative new products and experiences for the vehicle,” said Suman Sehra, Global Vice President of Automotive Product and Platform Portfolio Management at Harman.
The MWC in Barcelona is taking place from February 26 through February 29. It will demonstrate how Harman’s lineup of Ready products are designed to work seamlessly together for a faster, cost effective, time-to-market. Apart from the Ready Connect 5G TCU, other Harman technologies showcased include Ready Vision QVUE and Harman Ignite Store.
