Reliance Jio has been in the news for offering free unlimited data. After dominating the telecom space, Reliance is set to foray into automobiles. Connected cars is the future and Reliance seems to have developed the required systems and expertise to get into telematics.
Reliance has developed after-market 2-DIN infotainment systems with embedded GPS trackers and a Jio sim card that will relay all the required information to your smartphone app and will be in loop with the security system of the car. In another iteration of the system, the device is connected to the OBD II port that is mandatory on all cars in India since 2009 and hence works in loop with the car’s Electronic Control Module (ECM).
You can start the car, stop the car, turn the AC on or off or contain your car from moving in a certain geographic location through your smartphone. It can also help you with system diagnostics in case of breakdowns along with reaching out to road-side assistance or emergency services as programmed in the system.
Reliance is the first non-automotive brand to get into this space. Mahindra has already built an open source platform for connected cars called ‘DigiSense’.