What if your vehicle could stay connected more reliably wherever you park?

In a first-of-its-kind trial, Honda R&D Europe UK (HRE-UK) and BT are working with the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) to explore and validate next-generation wireless vehicle connectivity in a real-world UK environment.

Vehicles are becoming more software-driven, and drivers increasingly expect a seamless experience, creating growing connectivity demands. Bringing together expertise from the automotive and telecommunications sectors, the teams successfully demonstrated how trusted public Wi-Fi networks could complement existing cellular connectivity, increase Wi-Fi network capacity in high-density locations and support the next generation of connected vehicle services.

The trial enabled collaboration between HRE-UK, BT and the WBA to test and learn in a live UK situation. This enabled the team to move beyond lab testing and better understand the practical requirements to secure, reliable vehicle connectivity.

A Shared Vision for Seamless Vehicle Connectivity

The project was supported by the WBA, which provided access to its OpenRoaming® federation and wider Wi-Fi identity ecosystem. OpenRoaming enables devices to authenticate and connect automatically and securely to participating Wi-Fi networks. For the trial, BT configured and deployed the roadside Wi-Fi and network capabilities, while HRE-UK adapted and instrumented the vehicle side connectivity, enabling testing of OpenRoaming end-to-end in a real-world automotive environment.

Bruno Tomas, WBA’s Chief Technology Officer, remarked on the collaboration: “Honda brought automotive connectivity expertise and a deep understanding of the vehicle and customer experience. BT brought its connectivity and network engineering expertise, configuring and deploying the roadside Wi-Fi capability and working together to achieve the end-to-end integration and testing required for the trial.”

Honda and BT came to the project having approached the challenge from complementary directions. BT’s research had identified a growing connectivity requirement for increasingly data-intensive vehicles, particularly when parked, while Honda R&D had been exploring how technologies such as OpenRoaming could enable vehicles to connect automatically and securely to trusted Wi-Fi networks. Bringing that work together with the WBA, gave the opportunity to test the concept jointly in a live roadside environment and how Wi-Fi could complement cellular connectivity without requiring driver interaction.

HRE-UK is already well placed to understand and advance these types of systems, as Simon Davies, Systems Architect, HRE-UK, explained: “We’re at the forefront of connected vehicle innovation, using the UK as a testbed to understand and embed next-generation connectivity solutions. Our work is already gaining recognition across the global Honda organisation, demonstrating the value of combining local innovation with worldwide impact.”

Testing Connected Mobility in the Real-World

Testing began in the lab before moving into a real-world roadside environment. Working with BT and the WBA, HRE-UK used a specially equipped test vehicle to explore how BT’s OpenRoaming-enabled public Wi-Fi infrastructure could support vehicle connectivity.

On the road, the team was able to move beyond connecting to a network and assess whether reliable vehicle data transfer could be achieved in everyday conditions. Engineers tested how the system performed while the vehicle was parked or moving, and at different distances from the Wi-Fi hotspots, helping build a clearer picture of how this technology could support future connected mobility services.

“Together we evaluated connectivity, authentication, coverage and connection at on-street locations,” explained Philip O’Connor Senior Researcher at HRE-UK. “The collaboration was hands-on with Honda and BT, supported by Beam Connectivity, jointly planning, executing and analysing the trials, ultimately delivering an industry-first automotive OpenRoaming roadside demonstration in the UK.”

Although very much still in the development and trial stage, the initial findings have been very encouraging. The collaboration has highlighted how bringing together expertise from the automotive, telecommunications and standards communities can accelerate learning, validate emerging technologies in real conditions and identify opportunities for future connected vehicle services.

From Pilot to Future Possibilities

“By offering roadside connectivity, drivers could benefit from software updates delivered in places their vehicles naturally stop, helping reduce disruption to their daily lives,” explained Simon. “This has the potential to be adopted not only at the roadside but also on driveways, car parks, at the office and at petrol stations or EV charge points; places vehicles visit on a regular basis.”

Dave Pankhurst, Innovation Director, Connected Solutions, BT, said: “This trial demonstrated the value of combining BT’s connectivity expertise with collaboration across the automotive and technology sectors. By optimising our network capabilities for a new use case, we showed how trusted public Wi-Fi infrastructure can support future connected vehicle services in real-world conditions. It’s a brilliant example of how connectivity can be applied in new ways to help shape the future of mobility.”

Following the success of the initial trial, HRE-UK and its partners will continue to explore the potential of OpenRoaming technology as part of Honda’s ongoing commitment to open innovation. Leveraging the UK ecosystem as a testbed for emerging technologies and customer validation, HRE-UK aims to create new opportunities for collaboration and help shape solutions for future connected vehicle capabilities.