3 hidden trends at Mobile World Congress 18
For the 5th year running, Alp ICT was a partner and co-organizer of the Swiss Pavilion at MWC18, alongside Switzerland Global Enterprise andInnosuisse. For this edition, 13 Swiss companies were present on the Pavilion (including French-speaking Olympe (VD), Katia (VS) and Roxer (JU)), showcasing their technology and innovation at this annual must-attend event for the Telco/Mobile industry. It was the perfect opportunity to take to the show's aisles to get a feel for the market, and to take part in the perilous exercise of analyzing the major underlying trends.
The car becomes intelligent, shared and transformed into a platform
It's nothing new to see cars on the stands at MWC, some with the sole aim of attracting visitors with their sleek curves. This year, however, most of the vehicles on show had an entirely different purpose: to showcase the technological advances made on board.
Indeed, it seems that automakers and equipment manufacturers have integrated the on-board UX dimension into their thinking, and are actively working to significantly improve it. What they all have in common can be summed up in two letters: A.I.
Mercedes presented the new A-Class, featuring its new dashboard, which should be renamed the "on-board screen" because of the amount of space it takes up. In addition to the spectacular improvement in UX offered to the owner through an unprecedented degree of display personalization, the main highlight is the integration of on-board artificial intelligence, which enables the car to learn from the user's uses and habits and make recommendations. The car also integrates Alexa, Amazon's Intelligent Personal Assistant service. So you can talk naturally to your car and ask it anything you like (weather, news, music, etc.).
Seat presented a similar offer: Seat ID, its smartphone app that lets you configure the vehicle as you wish, and its A.I. called Iris Mobility Advisor which, depending on your habits and preferences, but also on traffic, weather and any other external event, will make the best route or even mode of transport recommendations, the system being intended to be multi-modal.
Note: Mercedes' system is already in production, while Seat's is currently only a concept.
Toyota presented the Smart Device Link, a true integration of the smartphone and its applications in the vehicle, allowing apps to be controlled from the vehicle. For example, the car's GPS is replaced by your smartphone's Tom-Tom app and displayed on the vehicle's screen. Toyota already claims support for over 100 apps, and has opened up its API to external developers.
SAP presented its Leonardo solution, a marketplace that aggregates all kinds of data (location and cost of parking lots, service stations, etc.) and enables payment via Mastercard integration. It is now possible, for example, to reserve and pay in advance for a parking space, pay for petrol, reserve and pay for a meal delivery, all without leaving your vehicle. Eventually, other services will be added to Leonardo: vehicle maintenance services, insurance, pollution control (particularly useful for cities with congestion charges, such as London), etc. The solution is already live in the USA and Germany.
Nokia presented a solution developed for Hertz to digitalize vehicle rental via a smartphone application that enables users to draw up a rental contract, unlock the vehicle remotely via an electronic key, and pay for the rental directly from their smartphone.
Finally, Idemia (the result of a merger between Oberthur Technologie and Morpho) presented its Augmented Identity concept, notably via an app dedicated to car-sharing, designed to facilitate vehicle rental and sharing. This technology is a real concentrate of new technologies: facial recognition (via a 3D selfie), mobile payment, crypto-security, IoT, etc. From the smartphone, it is possible to rent a vehicle (the 3D selfie ensures that it is the same person as on the ID document initially registered when registering for the service), to open and start it remotely via a virtual key (via a specific bundle plugged into the vehicle's OBD port), and finally to pay for the rental contract. Given the company's pedigree (Oberthur is one of the world leaders in official documents such as passports and identity cards, and in the security and digitization solutions that accompany them), we can be reassured about the solution's level of reliability and security.
Tomorrow's keyless world
Identification via a biometric solution is now commonplace, and we all do it dozens of times a day on our smartphones, for example. In fact, it would seem that Apple has strongly influenced the rest of the industry, since facial recognition is now ubiquitous, as in the case of Augmented Identity presented by Idemia (see above).
KT Corporation (formerly Korea Telecom, South Korea's main telecom operator) presented a safe and a door handle with a facial recognition module, as well as a USB key with retinal fingerprint recognition.
NEC demonstrated all its solutions, grouped together under the Bio-IDiom label: 3D recognition for mobiles, AI-boosted facial recognition for surveillance cameras, and even went so far as to talk about acoustic recognition (this press release from 2016 will tell you more about this technology which, as it stands, is still a vision of the future at NEC).
Infinéon presented its new Real3™ 3D camera for massive integration of 3D facial recognition in the next generation of phones.
Finally, and anecdotally, Mercedes presented a virtual concierge prototype with near-perfect visual performance, capable of detecting the emotions of its interlocutor and adapting its facial expression. For the moment, no interaction is possible (no facial or language recognition, no AI implemented), but no doubt Mercedes was discreetly previewing the future of its human-car interface.
The arrival of a Chinese giant in Europe
Xiaomi 's presence for the first time at Mobile World Congress didn't seem to unleash any passions, as all eyes were drawn to the siren song of 5G that populated every aisle of the show. Xiaomi certainly had an imposing stand, but of reasonable size compared with the behemoths Samsung, HTC or Huawei. From our point of view, however, it was a real event, much more exciting than the presentation of the latest smartphones from the manufacturers.
Often called the "Chinese Apple" and accused of plagiarizing Apple products, Xiaomi was founded in 2010 and its first product was MIUI, an Android-based OS for cell phones. 8 years later, the company is valued at over $46 billion, is the world's 5th-largest smartphone manufacturer and has a range of products from phones and connected kettles to connected sneakers and desk lamps. A much wider range than Apple, and one that's growing every day...
What do all these products have in common? Simple, elegant design, noble materials, cutting-edge technology and ultra-aggressive pricing. By way of example, here are some of the highlights presented at MWC18:
- Mi Action Camera 4K (GoPro-like): $150
- 3D stabilizer (comparable to DJI Osmo Mobile): $100
- Or the Camera + Stabilizer pack for $250 (!)
- Mi MIX 2 Smartphone (the manufacturer's top-of-the-range smartphone): $499
- Mi Laser Projector: $1,200 (advertised price)
Despite the recent, discreet opening of its very first store in Europe (in Barcelona), Xiaomi's ambition for the time being is reasonable: to understand the European market and adapt its products to local consumers. The strategy is simple: penetrate the market with the smartphone before rolling out ancillary products. Discreet and reasonable, Xiaomi is nevertheless a major competitor to Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and others, and we should soon see numerous Xiaomi Stores springing up in the main European capitals. Good news, in a way, for those who want to free themselves from the hegemony of American companies over their environment.
See you next year!
Mobile World Congress 2018 was held from February 26 to March 1 in Barcelona, bringing together over 2,400 exhibitors and 107,000 visitors, representing 205 countries. The next edition will take place from February 25 to 28, 2019. If you're interested in attending, don't hesitate to contact our Alp ICT team!
