Verizon Wireless 2013 Annual Report Download - page 7

By combining these capabilities with the power of our FiOS
customer base and more than 100 million wireless connections,
Verizon has the potential to be a formidable force in the video
marketplace of the future.
CONNECTED CARS
The number of connected cars worldwide is predicted to grow
sixfold by 2020, to more than 150 million worldwide. And
with more and more app development focused on the driving
experience, the smart car is becoming a platform for innovation,
much as the smartphone is today.
Verizon is a big player in this growing marketplace. Through
our wireless and telematics businesses, we provide wireless
connectivity and services like navigation, search and streaming
video to major car companies such as Mercedes-Benz,
Volkswagen, Toyota and, most recently, Hyundai, which will
embed Verizon’s wireless capabilities in all its U.S. cars and
trucks starting with its 2015 models. We also expanded our fleet
business in 2013, which uses sensors, remote diagnostics and
cloud computing in combination with wireless connectivity to
provide new tools for managing large vehicle fleets efficiently.
We have deployed 18,000 such devices in our own fleet and field
operations, generating substantial savings in time and fuel costs.
The connected car platform gives us lots of headroom for growth
as we connect vehicles, first to one another and then to the
transportation infrastructure itself—eventually linking to a smart
platform that will be able to regulate traffic, connect autonomous
driving cars, facilitate car and bike sharing and optimize public
transportation. These connected transportation systems have the
potential to reduce congestion, lower emissions and improve fuel
efficiency on a big scale.
HEALTHCARE
Another major strategic imperative for us is to provide integrated
solutions that help companies in a number of vertical markets
transition successfully to the digital and mobile era. Chief among
these is healthcare, which now makes up about one-sixth of
the U.S. economy. Like everything else in the digital economy,
medicine is going mobile—and with that shift come enormous
challenges about how to share sensitive, confidential medical
information quickly, reliably and securely.
Verizon is deploying our expertise in security, mobility and data
storage to address this challenge. In 2012, we launched a cloud
and data service infrastructure to help the healthcare industry
meet the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) for safeguarding patient information.
This HIPAA-compliant cloud offers medical providers a secure
environment in which to share electronic medical records, consult
with providers and patients, and transmit radiology images and
the like among hospitals, payers and physician networks.
In 2013, we launched our Converged Health Management solution,
a patient-monitoring service that provides doctors with up-to-
date data from connected biometric devices. With this service,
patients receive an FDA-cleared remote monitoring system with
which they can record vital data such as blood pressure,
glucose levels and weight. The system sends the information
wirelessly to secure servers in our HIPAA-compliant cloud,
where it can be analyzed by healthcare providers who then give
personalized feedback to their patients. Our objective is that
this service will engage and empower patients to make healthier
choices—creating better outcomes for consumers and
reducing demands on healthcare systems.
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. 2013 ANNUAL REPORT
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Verizon is equipping Children’s
Health Fund vehicles with 4G LTE
wireless technology to improve
access to care for children. For more
information on Verizon’s commitment
to improving healthcare, visit
responsibility.verizon.com