STC partners with Irish software firm to develop in-car applications
Saudi Telecom Company (STC), the Kingdom’s largest mobile network operator, has entered into a partnership with Irish vehicle software company Cubic Telecom to develop in-car software solutions for Saudi drivers.
As a result of the partnership, the software will then also allow STC to easily add a range of in-car services to Saudi vehicles, including an “emergency call” system which automatically alerts healthcare services in the event of an accident.
In an interview with Arab News Gerry McQuaid, Chief Commercial Officer at Cubic, said: “Basically we partnered with STC as a premier car integrity partner in Saudi Arabia. We are enabling the customer to benefit from a range of safety, entertainment and navigation features when they purchase the car,” he added.
Like every market, Saudi Arabia has a strict range of regulations for how connectivity is managed, he said. The software partnership will make it easier for features to be added by carmakers and thirdparty developers.
“I can’t give a precise date, but in a not-too-distant future you actually don’t need a driving license, the car will actually drive autonomously for the citizens. That’s the big difference,” he said of how the partnership could lead to big changes for Saudi drivers. “Already software solutions can support this capability, but it does need important regulations to be introduced to start with semidriving. You can request the car on your smartphone and it will drive to you to get in and the car will drive to your destination. You can listen to music, do some work and have a conversation while the car drives. This is not science fiction, “he said. Soon cars will have a whole range of applications, like an iPhone or another other smartphone, with touchscreen interaction and voice regulations, and you will interact with the car from outside using apps in smartphone, he added. On safety regulations, he said the solutions include an ‘emergency call’ system which automatically alerts emergency services in an accident, give details about the incident and if it requires attention. Barry Napier, CEO of Cubic Telecom, said: “We are delighted to be working with STC to help car manufacturers activate new opportunities in a very significant market.”
Dr. Sultan bin Saeed, VP of Business Development at STC said: “Partnering with Cubic enables STC as a digital enabler to simplify the delivery and management of advanced in-car services and gives us a foundation for innovating and meeting the changing needs of customers as new services evolve.” Cubic Telecom provides connected software solutions in over 5 million vehicles and devices in over 100 countries and has already partnered with some of the Gulf region’s largest mobile operators.
German flag carrier Lufthansa said Thursday it lost a record 6.7 billion euros ($8.1 billion) in 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic wiped out demand for travel and left aircraft grounded.
Europe’s biggest airline said it expects to book an operating loss again in 2021, although smaller than last year, as capacity runs at only 40-50 percent of pre-pandemic levels for the full year.
Underlining the long road to recovery, it added that capacity will climb to 90 percent of 2019’s level only in “the middle of the decade.”
After borders slammed shut as governments scrambled to halt the first wave of the Covid-19 crisis, the airline faced an uncertain future. In June, it was offered a lifeline by the German government, which pumped in nine billion euros for a 25 percent stake.
“The past year was the most challenging in the history of our company — for our customers, our employees and our shareholders,” said Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr.
In the airline’s home base, demand is sluggish with work from home orders curtailing lucrative business travel while official warnings are in place against leisure tourism in many countries worldwide.
Across Europe, restrictions are also in place as governments continue to battle rising infection numbers.
Lufthansa is currently flying about 20 percent of its capacity, with little improvement expected in the next one to two months.
But it expects demand to pick up again in the summer with a vaccination rollout progressing and more capacity for tests available. “Internationally recognized digital vaccination and test certificates must replace travel bans and quarantine,” Spohr stressed, repeating calls by other airline bosses.
Lufthansa, which includes subsidiaries Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, operated only 31 percent of its overall capacity last year. Revenues sank 63 percent to 13.6 billion euros for 2020, compared to 36.4 billion euros in 2019.
The operating loss came in at 5.5 billion euros, while a year ago, the airline’s comparative adjusted earnings before interest and tax
stood in the black at 2.0 billion euros.
Although it has put much of its staff on curtailed hours and brought its headcount down from a pre-pandemic 141,000 to 110,000 currently, another 10,000 jobs are still on the line.
Over the last months, it has done deals with unions representing pilots and ground crew so as to head off forced redundancies until March 2022.
Pilots agreed to short hour arrangements and corresponding salary cuts while ground staff signed on to giving up bonuses and pay raises to save their jobs. The group’s current fleet of 800 aircraft will be slashed to 650 by 2023. Lufthansa’s woes mirror those of its competitors elsewhere. Industry group IATA, which represents 290 major airlines worldwide, warned last week that global air passenger traffic will recover more slowly than expected this year because coronavirus variants have created strong headwinds.
The International Air Transport Association now estimates that traffic will reach between 33 and 38 percent of the levels recorded in 2019.
Its previous 2021 forecast was for traffic to reach 51 percent of the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Dominic Thiem will bid to become the first Austrian since Thomas Muster in 1997 to lift the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships trophy when the tournament gets underway in a few days’ time.
The reigning US Open champion will be the top seed and will be hoping to emulate his legendary countryman who overcame Goran Ivanisevic in a thrilling final to claim the title. Since then, no other player from Austria has managed to land the coveted prize.
Thiem, who as well as defeating Alexander Zverev to win the 2020 US Open and making the final of both the 2018 and 2019 French Opens and the 2020 Australian Open, also reached the final of the ATP Tour Finals in the past two seasons.
But he has some catching up to do in Dubai, where in 2015, his only previous appearance, he fell in the first round to Roberto Bautista Agut.
“Dominic Thiem has already proven that he is worthy to be named alongside Thomas Muster as one of the greatest tennis players that Austria has produced,” said Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free.
“His results, particularly over the past two seasons, have often been spectacular, and we very much look forward to welcoming him back to Dubai.”
Thiem, 27, will certainly provide excitement as well as showcase the skills that have seen him achieve outstanding results against the best in the game.