LG Uplus, South Korea’s third largest mobile carrier, said Monday that it has inked a supply deal for its smartphone mirroring system for automobiles, Car Link, in Saudi Arabia.

The Car Link connects smartphones and car navigation systems, enabling drivers to utilize smartphone functions including surfing the Internet, and making calls, on the navigation systems. 

The smartphone mirroring system will be mounted on navigation systems of Hyundai Motor cars to be shipped to the Middle East nation this year.

The supply deal will help the mobile carrier in increasing its presence in the Middle East region and global smart car businesses, the company said.

The connected car market is deemed to be a future cash cow for many global tech firms including Apple and Google, which have developed smart car systems CarPlay and Android Auto, respectively.

LG Uplus vice chairman Lee Sang-chul previously said that “the development of IT is changing the concept of cars, which will further evolve into private spaces specifically tailored for individuals.”

The Car Link, codeveloped by Korean IT solutions developer Ubridge and LG Uplus last September, is compatible with a wide range of cars and navigation systems including those made by BMW, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.

(wone0102@heraldcorp.com)