The Connected Vehicle

As vehicles evolve into data platforms, Wi-Fi has become an essential complement to cellular networks. This report defines how secure, automated, and cost-efficient Wi-Fi connectivity enables OEMs to transform operations — from predictive maintenance to over-the-air software updates and telematics analytics.

Key Insights:

• Wi-Fi complements cellular, not competes. Opportunistic Wi-Fi handles non-real-time workloads such as firmware updates, diagnostics, and vehicle-to-cloud uploads.
• OEM savings and efficiency. Remote updates and predictive analytics over Wi-Fi can save automakers over $35 billion annually by cutting recall and warranty costs.
• Secure, automatic onboarding. Through Passpoint™ and Next-Gen Hotspot, vehicles connect seamlessly without driver input, delivering cellular-grade security.
• Building the multi-RAT foundation. Proven smartphone roaming and authentication standards extend directly to connected-vehicle use cases.
• OpenRoaming™ and roadside integration. Unified roaming across dealerships, charging stations, and fuel sites simplifies OTA and data offload.
• Wi-Fi 6-ready performance. Outdoor reliability and low latency enable real-time applications such as ADAS model updates and V2X communications.

The connected-vehicle ecosystem requires seamless interoperability between cellular and unlicensed networks. WBA’s work provides the blueprint for secure Wi-Fi integration across the automotive value chain — from OEMs to roadside infrastructure owners.

Continue the journey in our follow-up study:

“Wi-Fi Opportunities for Connected Vehicles – Demand for Data and Multi-Access Edge Computing” , which quantifies the data explosion and outlines how Wi-Fi and Edge Computing converge to power the future of autonomous mobility.