With the BMW iX, the BMW Group is the first premium manufacturer to integrate the 5G mobile radio standard with real ‘Dual-SIM-Dual-Active’ services into a globally available production vehicle. In collaboration with both Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone, mobility is entering the 5G era with benefits such as high bandwidth, low latency, and improved telephone quality.
For the first time, Deutsche Telekom and the BMW Group use Personal eSIM and MobilityConnect to connect the vehicle to the customer’s mobile radio based on 5G. “Telekom is the leading network provider in Germany — both in mobile radio and in the landline network. With our new MobilityConnect mobile radio option, we are bringing 5G networking into a vehicle as standard for the first time. Our best 5G network makes premium connectivity possible like in the BMW iX. We thus create completely new applications for Telekom customers in the fields of entertainment and infotainment and enable the increasing networking of the car,” explains André Almeida, managing director, private customers at Telekom Germany.
On the other hand, Vodafone and the BMW Group use Personal eSIM and Vodafone One Number Car for the same purpose. “Together with BMW, we are bringing the first Vodafone 5G in a car on the road. The multi-aerial system integrates fast network and digital services even better into the vehicle. For the customer in the car, this means even higher mobile phone quality, fewer annoying phone call interruptions, and more digital variety to make even better use of the driving time," says Michael Reinartz, head of innovations at Vodafone Germany.
As for the price, Telekom is introducing a special rate option for integrated connectivity for its customers. Through the MobilityConnect option, they can extend their mobile phone contract to include the BMW iX and later other enabled models for 9.95 euros per month. After a minimum term of one year, the rate option can then be canceled on a daily basis.
Vodafone offers a more flexible means of payment with the Vodafone One Number Car option for only 5 euros per month, with no permanent commitment and monthly basis cancellation. The booking can be easily started in the vehicle through the My BMW App or the My Vodafone App. Upon booking the rate option, the eSIM is activated for the vehicle for a one-time fee of 10 euros.
In the future, all passengers will benefit from the improved connection quality and increased data throughput in 5G-capable BMW vehicles because a WLAN hotspot can be activated via the Personal eSIM, allowing up to ten end devices to surf or stream at 5G speed.