BMW will integrate a smart-car connectivity system from Japan’s NTT Docomo Business into new electric vehicles (EVs) to be launched globally from 2026.
According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the technology will first be introduced in BMW’s upcoming iX3 EV.
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The system uses an embedded SIM card designed to ensure stable and continuous connections with mobile networks across multiple countries.
The platform enables vehicles to exchange real-time information with external systems, including traffic data, vehicle status and onboard environmental conditions, supporting safer driving.
According to the report, the iX3 will be the first model in BMW’s next-generation flagship EV range, Neue Klasse.
The connectivity platform will also enable over-the-air updates, allowing software upgrades and new functions to be added after vehicles are sold.
BMW is developing software-defined vehicles intended to enhance performance through advanced digital capabilities.
NTT Docomo Business, a unit of the telecommunications group NTT, first proposed the smart-car system to BMW in 2022.
The company secured the contract after competing with a major German telecommunications provider.
The technology is expected to be installed in vehicles sold in at least 100 countries, although the US and China are excluded.
For the US market, the iX3 will instead use a smart connectivity system supplied by Japanese telecommunications company KDDI.
BMW plans to introduce at least six Neue Klasse models by 2027.
Future global vehicles in the series are expected to adopt systems and hardware provided by NTT Docomo Business.
Earlier this month, BMW Group and CATL signed an MoU in Beijing to strengthen collaboration on pilot projects on ‘trusted data exchange and decarbonisation across the power battery supply chain’.
