In the past years we have seen huge growth and adoption of the Machine 2 Machine opportunities within the automotive sector. 1.5 billion M2M connections are anticipated in the automotive sector by 2022 (Gartner).
Driving those innovations, vehicle manufacturers are releasing and investing every day into solutions that will provide personalised service to the drivers. One powerful step for such innovative communications is to connect cars via 5G to the mobile network.
To provide the best communication and driving experience, CM.com stepped in as a CPaaS partner to help make ConnectedDrive scalable and futureproof.
SMS plays a crucial role in BMW’s ConnectedDrive services. In order to keep drivers always connected, SMS is the only communication channel that works in most situations and areas around the globe.
Think about tunnels and other road obstacles that can block mobile internet connections like 4G and 5G. For example, if a driver gets involved in an accident, a modem vehicle with an integrated SIM card can send out an SMS message via the respective partner carriers to initiate an automated Emergency Call. SMS can also be used for locking and unlocking the car or to adjust the temperature before entering a vehicle.
The BMW Group also uses SMS for B2B and B2C communication. For example, within their operations and logistic flow, automated SMS messages are sent to truck drivers to provide the necessary information. SMS also makes it possible to reach out to employees for instructions or alerts.
The M2M SMS messages services are therefore a crucial component in BMW’s ConnectedDrive. Everyday BMW sends out a huge number of SMS messages. CM.com was happy to be chosen to help make ConnectedDrive services scalable and future-proof.
A high level of requirements had to be fulfilled such as high redundancy and strong SLAs, as well as support and guidance with the migration of all SMS services.
Our teams at CM.com needed to make sure that the migration would be as smooth as possible so that customers would not notice anything.
Our global footprint, 24/7 support and knowledge on the right (SMS) roads to follow is crucial in our collaboration. CM.com needed to check all boxes, but we took it at heart to go the extra mile.
During the whole project, there were a lot of constructive discussions with the BMW Group about the best possible solutions. For example, it was not clear yet at the beginning of the project if the existing infrastructure would be used and if the focus would only be on switching SMS provider.
Our team at CM.com was constantly in contact with the BMW Group team to guide them, to check all possibilities and to look for the right answers and solutions. Ultimately, it was decided to not only change provider but to also use the CM.com API and infrastructure.
Even though the outbreak of Covid-19 made the communication for the project a bit more difficult, we took it at heart to always be available to guide and prevent hiccups.
There were a few important challenges to tackle. It needed to be certain that all relevant vehicles equipped with ConnectedDrive would work after the migration and that customers would not even notice the big architectural change.
We tested all relevant vehicle configurations since the beginning of ConnectedDrive services over a decade ago. Those tests were also carried out in different countries, each with its own architecture, vehicle configurations and legal requirements.
We realised a 100% success ratio with the tests, always with the end customer in focus and implemented the migration as smooth as possible.
Global reach and experience with SMS, combined with a stable and wide variety of solutions, are crucial conditions for the success of such a project. CM.com ticks those boxes.
Because BMW is a global brand, there is a high demand in terms of flexibility for different mobile operators and use cases. CM.com’s global reach means they don’t have to worry about which routing or mobile network they need to use; CM.com takes care of it with the SMS Gateway, its own infrastructure and helps bring more stability.
Thanks to the SMS Gateway, our customer not only has a reliable SMS Messaging platform, but also gained a powerful and unique Business Messaging API which gives them new opportunities for the future.
The API got tailored to the needs of their applications and scalability. And that same scalability gives them the opportunity to ramp up their customer base.
One big plus is to have everything running on the same platform. This allows CM.com to provide relevant statistics and an overall view of all the SMS traffic within the BMW Group.
It allows for example to monitor delivery times. Also, CM.com gives new opportunities to connect and communicate within the same platform, like for example the integration of other communications channels.
The collaboration between the BMW Group and CM.com was based on flexibility and was always focussed on the improvement of the previous solution.
This flexibility was crucial as it was not entirely clear at the beginning of the project which solution would be chosen.
Since the project kick-off, there was a good cooperation within the project team and understanding grew even stronger through time.
At CM.com, we find it important for our customers and their partners to always have somebody at the office with proper knowledge of the project who can provide the right support.
We made sure that multiple team members of CM.com were able to assist our customer’s team, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Even in times when lockdowns and restrictions due to Covid made meetings and communication more difficult.
Because of this commitment we realised a real effective partnership and the project showed the necessary motivation from everybody that has been involved to make it a successful journey and outcome.
© BMW Group
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