Audi is 1st automaker to bring LTE technology to passenger cars

Audi has now become the first carmaker to integrate the high-speed Long Term Evolution (LTE) data transfer standard to its cars, starting with the S3 Sportback this July and other variants in November.

To use the LTE feature, a suitable SIM card with a flat data rate must be inserted into the appropriate slot of the multimedia navigation unit of the S3 Sportback. Once the car\'s passengers connect their mobile devices to the wireless hotspot integrated into the car, they can start surfing the web independently of one another.

According to Audi, the multimedia navigation unit uses the tailored services of Audi Connect--from navigation with Google Earth and Google Street View, to Audi\'s music stream web radio and online traffic information. In addition, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have been made vehicle-friendly through the use of a text-to-speech function and a text function with prepared text modules. The German carmaker added that there are already over a dozen Audi Connect services, including a text-to-speech function for e-mail and a dictation function for text messages--\"and the range of services is expanding rapidly.\"

Do you think a feature like LTE should be made standard on cars?