LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE 360 NORTH AMERICA: AT&T’s SVP of emerging devices, Chris Penrose, reaffirmed the operator’s commitment to the nascent connected car market, describing it as “a huge new opportunity for operators.”

CONNECTED CARThe US number two mobile carrier is using the Atlanta event this week to showcase its progress in this area, bringing two Audi and BMW models (pictured) onsite to demonstrate some of its services.

And Penrose waxed lyrical on the potential for this market, describing market forecasts of 10 million connected cars on US roads by 2017 as potentially “a little low.”

“We think the car is the ultimate mobile device,” claimed Penrose. “The US is leading the globe in terms of embedded connectivity in cars.”

This year alone AT&T has struck deals with the likes of General Motors, Audi, Tesla and Volvo.

Penrose was keen to stress that this is very much a market in transition. “We’re on this huge evolution around what we’re doing with the connected car. Up until last year it was about providing basic connectivity and billing solutions. Now we’re focused on applications; it’s more than just connectivity.

Penrose noted that applications designed for the connected car should be customised, rather than simply repackaged from the smartphone experience. “Replicating the apps you have on your handset is not the right idea – the apps need to be designed for speech first.”