This report provides Transforma Insights’ view on the eCall market. This segment comprises two sub-applications: ‘eCall Head Unit’ and ‘Dedicated eCall’.
eCall or emergency calling has become a common feature in cars following regulatory mandates in the European Union, the Eurasian Economic Union, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and other parts of the world. It is also growing organically in countries that still do not have any regulations because for OEMs this is a very cheap service to provide and it gives them the opportunity to add another product to offer, with limited downside. Many road safety programs focus on reducing the severity of accidents. However, emergency calling programs specifically aim to reduce response times and provide greater information for first responders.
eCall can be initiated either manually (by pushing a button) or automatically via activation of in-vehicle sensors when a serious vehicle crash occurs. In its early days, eCall used 2G and 3G networks to make calls and transfer data, but this now must be replaced with NG (Next Generation) eCall that uses 4G or 5G cellular networks because older networks are being phased out. NG eCalls will provide higher network availability, better service quality, and will allow transmission of larger amounts of data (that may include health data of occupants or live images of accident scenes in future) to the emergency services. It will also enable the transmission of video in addition to voice and data.
The report provides a detailed definition of the sector, analysis of market development and profiles of the key vendors in the space. It also provides a summary of the current status of adoption and Transforma Insights’ ten-year forecasts for the market. The forecasts include analysis of the number of IoT connections by geography, the technologies used (including splits by 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, LPWA, short range, satellite, and others), as well as the revenue split between module, value-added connectivity and services. A full set of forecast data, including country-level forecasts, sector break-downs and public/private network splits, is available through the IoT Forecast tool.
The report examines key factors that are influencing the development of the eCall market, including:
This section of the report starts by examining the key drivers behind emergency calling systems, which are fuelled by factors such as the alarming frequency of road accidents and the resultant fatalities. For instance, each year, approximately 1.3 million individuals lose their lives in road traffic crashes, underscoring the critical need for effective emergency response mechanisms.
It then talks about the benefits of installing eCall systems in vehicles – to reduce the impact of accidents by providing rapid assistance and ensuring better information facilitation. For instance, the EU estimated that eCall systems can save 2500 lives and reduce the severity of injuries by 10-15% per year.
This subsection expounds upon how regulatory compliance has added impetus to the deployment of eCall. For example, in April 2018, the European Union made eCall service mandatory across 28 countries in Europe. It also discusses how some countries (like India and China) are still awaiting suitable policies to make eCall service mandatory.
In a tabular format, it then discusses the regulatory statuses of eCall deployments across countries including China, the Eurasian Economic Union, the European Union, Japan, India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America. It also discusses how factors like population, infrastructure, economy, and other services will affect the adoption of eCall across various geographies. For instance, in India, the installation of eCall systems may be slow owing to the heavy investment requirement from the government and OEMs.
This subsection of the report explains how the high cost of services has deterred a significant number of drivers from installing eCall services, although most vehicle users do express a common desire for connected safety services. It also talks about some combined efforts of consumers towards making this service free.
This subsection first explains how an emergency call can be generated and how it works. It then discusses how the communication technologies used for eCalls have evolved over time (from 2G and 3G to 4G and 5G) and how this communication technology should be further appropriated for this specific purpose. For instance, since 4G and 5G don’t have any domain for circuit switches, NG (Next Generation) eCall is the need of the hour. It also charts the benefits of using NG eCalls (like higher network availability and better service quality). It then discusses how the regulations regarding the required connectivity technology for eCalls have been changing with time across major geographies.
This section first defines what eCall head units are and then explains why although the adoption of eCall Head Unit services is largely organic in countries where it has not been mandated.
It then discusses the major factors slowing down the adoption of eCall in developing countries (including lack of knowledge and awareness) and how such countries will benefit the most from it. It also explains how the increasing usage of emergency calling features in smartphones and smartwatches can hinder its growth, although it also mentions the drawbacks of having eCall facilities in smartphones and smartwatches. To cite an instance, it has been noticed that some software installed in smartphones end up calling emergency services, even if they are accidentally dropped.
It also provides a few examples of relevant IoT deployments in this application, such as Daimler using eSIM from Infineon for eCall connectivity.
This section first defines what dedicated eCall is, and then talks about its usability (exclusively for emergency calling) and the drivers behind their growing adoption (such as regulatory mandates). It then focuses on some standalone aftermarket eCall solutions for vehicles that are not originally equipped with it. For instance, Valeo Group’s Valeo Rescuer eCall device can be plugged into the vehicles’ cigarette lighter sockets. It also discusses the future growth of such devices.
It then provides a few examples of relevant IoT deployments in this application, including Volvo deploying an eCall emergency response system from Actia Nordics.
The key vendors section lists some of the main providers of products and services related to the market such as Bosch, Audi, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Ford, and Denso Corporation. The report provides profiles of the various vendors including aspects most relevant to this Application Group, such as product offerings, pricing, financial results, and technology.
In the market forecasts section, we provide a summary of the forecasts from the Transforma Insights IoT Forecast Database:
The report charts the decline in the number of dedicated eCall devices, which will reduce from 26.5 million in 2023 to 19.8 million in 2033. Transforma Insights forecasts are compiled on a country-by-country basis. This report includes a regional summary, showing splits between Australasia, Greater China, North America, Europe, Japan, Latin America, MENA, Russia & Central Asia, South East Asia, South Korea, India & South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Transforma Insights’ IoT forecasts include splits between the various connectivity technologies as follows: 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G mMTC, 5G non-mMTC, LPWA (non-mMTC), Satellite, Short Range, and Other.
This section discusses which technologies will be used in the eCall application group.
This part of the report discusses the market growth in terms of revenue (module revenue, service wrap revenue, and VAC revenue). Transforma Insights estimates that the revenue in the eCall Application Group will grow at a CAGR of 2%.
