Harman reveals high-performance 5G TCU for connected cars

Harman, a global leader in connected vehicle solutions, is demonstrating its latest road-ready products designed to democratise automotive connectivity at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 being held from February 26-29 in Barcelona.

The products, including the Harman Ready Connect 5G Telematics Control Unit, are market-ready and, according to the company, provide added value for automakers, including a reduction in overall cost of implementation while delivering consumer experiences at automotive grade.

The Harman Ready Connect 5G TCU leverages state-of-the-art Snapdragon Digital Chassis connected car technologies from Qualcomm Technologies to push connectivity boundaries and democratise the automotive connectivity landscape. Based on the Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2, it represents a significant advancement in automotive connectivity, delivering rich in-cabin experiences for consumers while reducing time to market and engineering efforts for OEMs.

From receiving relevant traffic notifications to enhanced communication between the car and the surrounding environment, the new Ready Connect product  offers safer and more amplified in-cabin experiences for drivers and passengers alike. When combined with Harman’s SaaS situational awareness offering, unlimited new applications and connected services can be made readily available to OEMs and their customers to provide enhanced mobility, states the company. 

Future-proof connectivity solution
Ready Connect is the latest addition to Harman’s portfolio. The Ready Connect 5G TCU represents a significant advancement in automotive connectivity, delivering rich in-cabin experiences for consumers while reducing time to market and engineering efforts for OEMs. The result is improved in-vehicle connected mobility experiences focused on entertainment, productivity, and enhanced situational awareness. It provides OEMs with a future-proof solution, via modular hardware upgradability from 4G to 5G coupled with a highly scalable software architecture to maximise software reuse across product variants. A predeveloped suite of software applications, such as vehicle diagnostics, reduce deployment and integration time for OEMs.

The Ready Vision product portfolio seamlessly integrates important audio and visual needs for consumers, offering a safer and more informed driving experience that helps keep the driver’s eyes and mind on the road. The newest product in the lineup, Ready Vision QVUE, is powered by Samsung Neo QLED and delivers an unprecedented experience with outstanding visual performance and unrivalled packaging. It provides the right information in the right place for minimised distraction and maximised engagement, bright illumination in all light conditions along with size and feature-set flexibility. Ready Vision QVUE technology takes advantage of unused space at the base of the windshield to reflect relevant information closer to the driver’s line of sight. It also allows for an intuitive, connected experience and with Ready Connect, real-time updates on traffic, navigation and hazard alerts. Additionally, with Ready Care, drivers can be alerted to cognitive distraction, increasing overall safety when on the road.

“As the automotive industry continues to transform and embrace emerging technological breakthroughs and heightened consumer expectations, Harman continues to provide innovative new products and experiences for the vehicle. New additions to the Ready product portfolio underscore the power of collaboration across diverse areas of expertise to boost safety, personalisation and sustainability for automakers and consumers,” said Suman Sehra, Global Vice President of Automotive Product & Platform Portfolio Management at Harman. “Harman stands out by delivering products that pave the way for the next generation of connected and autonomous vehicles.”