The service will be offered by Sprint as well as Rogers Communications in Canada

Rogers Communications and American wireless carrier, Sprint, have announced in their latest technology news that they will be bringing high speed internet access to vehicles very soon, as they see a tremendous opportunity for growth within that market.

According to the carriers, the service will become available quite soon within new vehicles.

That said, the companies didn’t include pricing in their technology news announcement, nor did they share the cost of the project or the dates on which they expect to launch. The statement was issued jointly by these two companies, which are among the largest telecommunications networks in North America.

One spokesperson from Rogers has confirmed that the technology news of the launch will be within a year from now.

The technology news release explained that the service would become available from auto manufacturers that use the Velocity system from Sprint in Canada, and will leverage the wireless networks from Rogers in order to make sure that vehicles remain connected while they’re on the road.

These new vehicles will be manufactured using a SIM card design that is machine-to-machine (M2M) for wireless connectivity that is built right in. According to the vice president of Rogers, Mansell Nelson, “I think people are trying to figure out from an automotive context, or an in-car context, how you make these things relevant to what the person is doing in the car at that time.”

The vehicles manufactured with Sprint Velocity – which is already being deployed in American vehicles but that is now coming to Canada as well – will provide passengers with access to driving directions, vehicle diagnostics, weather alerts, sports scores, and news through the use of a touchscreen built into the dash.

The service also provides in-car internet connectivity for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Rogers explained that it is providing this service in response to the desire of Canadians to “be connected from anywhere, at any time.”

Critics of this technology news have drawn attention to the fact that this could increase driver distractibility. That issue is certain to appear more than once, particularly in areas such as the province of Ontario, where it is illegal to drive with a mobile device in your hand, even if it is turned off.

Although the smartphone and tablet based shopping and advertising experience remains small, it is growing fast.

Mobile marketing and commerce are already growing at an explosive rate, but they remain a small fraction of the overall online space, except when it comes to couponing, which is clearly reaching mainstream levels.

This technique for advertising is driving revenues and is sending foot traffic back into stores.

Trends in mobile marketing are developing extremely fast, as end of year totals look nothing like what they had been at the beginning of the same year. Now, with the holiday shopping season once again approaching, retailers are looking to take advantage of the smartphone and tablet marketplace, particularly in areas that have become the most popular. That easily includes couponing.

A recent BI Intelligence report revealed that coupons, as well as catalogs, are leading the way in mobile marketing.

The report showed that among grocery stores, 41 percent are using mobile marketing couponing techniques, with the same percentage of department stores offering coupons for smartphone and tablet users, as well. Thirty nine percent of clothing stores were doing so, while electronics stores were using mobile coupons in only 29 percent of the cases (which is surprising, considering that they often sell those devices and gadgets in the first place). Finally, 26 percent of mass merchandisers were found to take part in this technique.

The role of coupons in mobile marketing is not only becoming increasingly popular, but the report has indicated that its importance is growing, as well, and that it will continue to do so. This is because the number of American smartphone owners who use these coupons has exploded. In 2010, 7.4 million Americans were using them, and by the end of last year, a tremendous 29.5 million Americans reported using them. By the year 2014’s end, the report has predicted that this will have continued to skyrocket and will reach 47.1 million people in the United States, alone.

Moreover, the report also indicated that among the mobile marketing coupons that were distributed, there was a far greater redemption rate over this channel than there had been at the same time with print coupons.