ECall

eCall is a project of the European Commission intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a collision anywhere in the European Union. The projects aims to employ a hardware black box installed in vehicles that will wirelessly send airbag deployment and impact sensor information, as well as GPS coordinates to local emergency agencies eCall builds on E112.

As of 2005, the European Commission expects implementation by 2009.

Many companies are involved with telematics technology to use in different aspects of eCall including in-vehicle systems, wireless data delivery, and public safety answering point systems.

Standardization of communication protocols and human language issues are some of the obstacles. Prototypes have been successfully tested with GPRS and in-band signalling over cellular networks. At the same time proprietary eCall solutions that rely on SMS exist already today from car makers such as BMW, PSA and Volvo Cars.

Once in active deployment, other telematic services are expected to explode such as route advisories and traffic information.

The project also is supported by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), an interest group of European automobile, bus and truck manufacturers, and ERTICO, a nonprofit organization promoting the implementation of intelligent transportation systems and service providers in Europe. Many of the stakeholder companies involved with telematics technology have membership in ERTICO or ACEA. An advantage of this membership is increased ability to influence developing eCall standards.