Shropshire Star

Bentley reveals ‘world’s first’ in-car superfast Wi-Fi network

The manufacturer says multiple passengers will be able to stream entertainment, take video calls and create a mobile office on the move.

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(Bentley)

Luxury car-maker Bentley has launched what it claims is the first superfast “reliable and secure” in-car Wi-Fi system.

The British company has created a bespoke router built into the boot of its cars and says it plans to introduce it to all of its models in 2019.

Called Advanced Connectivity, the network will use three SIM cards inside the router, which will link to a fixed broadband hub to provide connectivity while on the move.

(Bentley)
Advanced Connectivity could be introduced to all of the firm’s models next year (Bentley)

Bentley connected car product manager Hamid Qureshi said the system performed well in testing and the firm is now keen to see it used by customers.

“We’re really excited in terms of the uses cases – this idea that when you’re in the back of a Bentley car you can actually use this advanced connectivity to simultaneously view multiple types of heavy content,” he said.

“So you could be sitting in the back of the car and a fellow passenger could be streaming Netflix on their iPad and another passenger could be doing a live Skype call and another passenger could be receiving a heavy data file from the office and editing that file and sending it back – and it’s all happening simultaneously because of this advanced router connectivity.”

He added security was a crucial part of the network’s design, with much scrutiny over the safety of connected cars in the wake of several high-profile hacking demonstrations in recent years.

“Security is a non-negotiable topic,” Mr Qureshi said.

“Our ambition is to always ensure, through rigorous quality and testing, that products are secure and that goes not just for physical products such as producing a car but also digital services.

“Safety is a non-negotiable paramount.”

Bentley’s system has been built in collaboration with telecoms firm Viasat, which has managed 14 million Wi-Fi hotspots and brought satellite-enabled Wi-Fi to commercial and government aircraft.

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