Ford at CES: Why We’re Working with Qualcomm to Ensure Everything in Cities Speaks the Same Language

By Don Butler, Ford Executive Director, Connected Vehicle and Services

Ever since Samuel Morse tapped out his first telegraph message in 1838, inventors have been drawn to the concept of connectivity. The discovery of radio waves, the telephone and, of course, the internet has only fueled our desire to stay connected in every possible way.

The automobile is part of the same evolution, giving people the freedom to go where opportunity beckons while remaining connected to friends and family. As technology advances, there are even more opportunities to improve the way we move, to make it safer and more efficient. For example, making our streets safer would be a lot easier if vehicles on the road could talk to each other, pedestrians, cyclists, and traffic lights.

This isn't a radical idea. Already, Ford has 700,000 connected vehicles on the road. By next year, every new vehicle we make for the United States will be connected. This is a foundational step for our customers, for the introduction of innovative new services and for the city systems with which they will interact.

The question we are working to answer now is: What's the best way to get these vehicles talking to each other - and to everything else?

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