Ford dealers to offer hands-free car phone

Bloomberg News

Dearborn, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. will begin offering a hands-free, voice-activated system in some vehicles this year to enable drivers to use cellular phones more safely.

Cellport Systems Inc. will supply the system, the Cellport 3000 with Voice Command, under a $48 million contract, said Ralph Poplansky, Cellport's vice president of product development.

New York last month became the first state to ban the use of cell phones by drivers unless they use headsets or hands-free devices. The Cellport 3000 will be sold initially as a dealer-installed option on Taurus sedans and Windstar minivans and will be offered in most Ford vehicles by mid-2002, Ford spokeswoman Della DiPietro said.

Cellport, based in Boulder, Colo., also plans to sell the system through wireless-phone distributors. The company's investors include AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Japan's Omron Corp.

The Cellport 3000 can be used with a variety of cell phones, including those made by Motorola Inc., Ericsson AB and Nokia Oyj. Phone-specific pocket adapters are available.

Ford, which is based in Dearborn and is the nation's second-largest automaker, last year formed a venture with Qualcomm Inc. called Wingcast Inc. to enable wireless Internet and e-mail access in Ford vehicles. Wingcast systems will be available in Ford and Nissan Motor Co. 2003 models.