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Kia OTA update adds SoundCloud and enhances EV Route Planner and voice control

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2 years ago

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The latest Kia over-the-air (OTA) update includes music streaming from SoundCloud and improvements to planning EV chargingUpdate has more than 150 changes, with additional voice commands enhancing the in-car experienceDriver speed assistance warning can be turned off using the mute button at the steering wheel

FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Telematics-equipped Kia vehicles from the model year 2022 onwards are eligible to get over-the-air (OTA) updates. The latest batch of updates available includes 153 changes, with music streaming service SoundCloud, enhancements to the EV Route Planner and new voice commands all added.

 

Using the Kia Connect App, customers can benefit from a range of digital features and services from the Kia Connect Store that can elevate the vehicle’s capabilities and performance, with the vehicle being updated remotely via OTA. A bandwidth that is three times wider than before now enables OTA updates to be completed faster. The latest updates available are designed to enhance and improve the in-car experience. Driver speed assistance warnings can now be deactivated simply by using the mute button at the steering wheel*, while a split screen for the EV Route Planner provides easier viewing of arrival time, state-of-charge and charging point information.

“The array of intelligent changes available in this latest update is strong proof that over-the-air updates deliver significant improvements that enable the vehicle to get better throughout the ownership experience,” said Sjoerd Knipping, Vice President of Marketing and Product at Kia Europe and Managing Director of Kia Connect. “At Kia, we are always looking at ways to make our vehicles better, and our customers now get to enjoy these improvements several times a year, without having to do anything.”

Wireless technology is used to download the latest available software, and, once the download is complete and the ignition is turned off, a confirmation window appears on the infotainment screen. SoundCloud is a leading music streaming service offering more than 375 million tracks from 40 million artists. In Kia vehicles, SoundCloud joins Amazon Music – now supported by voice recognition – as the second method for music streaming.

The Kia EV Route Planner, one of the first updates made available through the Kia Connect Store, enables the vehicle’s navigation system to detect charging stations along the route and add them as waypoints automatically. Now, it is available in a split screen, to give the driver an improved overview of key charging information. It can also now automatically add charging stations to the route if the set destination cannot be reached with the vehicle’s current charging level, resulting in faster route calculation. 

Other key updates include:

Battery conditioning being activated when the customer searches for charging stations via voice recognitionVoice control that supports new commands for flight information, date/time, ambient lighting and cluster information Changing the priority related to the parking button; when the parking button is on, the nearest EV station is displayed with a higher priority than the parking icon

An initial one-year trial bundles two free OTA updates for the vehicle’s navigation maps and infotainment. After that, a subscription service is available on the Kia Connect Store from 89 EUR* per year, with the update packages delivered twice per year. Prices may vary depending on the country.

 

Notes to editors
(*) Only available for some models. Remaining models will only follow with the next software update.

About Kia Europe
Kia Europe is the European sales and manufacturing division of Kia Corporation – a global mobility brand that is creating innovative, pioneering and leading sustainable mobility solutions for consumers, communities and societies around the world. As a Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider, Kia is spearheading the popularization of electrified and battery electric vehicles and developing a growing range of mobility services, encouraging people around the world to explore the best ways of getting around.

Kia Europe, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, employs in total over 5,500 employees from 40 nationalities in 39 markets across Europe and the Caucasus. It also oversees European production at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Zilina, Slovakia.
Kia’s innovative products continue to attract great acclaim, notably the EV6 battery electric vehicle becoming the first Korean car to be named European Car of the Year in 2022.
Further information can be found here: www.press.kia.com

About Kia Connect
Kia Connect is the European subsidiary of Kia Europe delivering connected car services to Kia customers. Headquartered in Frankfurt, it covers more than 30 markets.
Kia Connect in-car and app-based telematics services are designed to make driving and charging a smarter and more intuitive experience. Features include accurate traffic and ETA prediction, ‘best-in-class’ data provision, remote access to vehicle information, and now over-the-air software updates. Kia Connect’s suite of on-board technologies can be accessed through the vehicles’ head unit.

EV owners can also use the Kia Connect smartphone app to set climate control levels, view their vehicle’s charging status, plan smart charging schedules and check the range radius based on the remaining charge. Users can also check and change their vehicle settings directly from their smartphone, including navigation, radio and Bluetooth preferences. The Kia Connect smartphone app is available for download via the Google Play and Apple App stores.

Contact:
Pablo Gonzalez Huerta
+49 69 850 028 100
Kme-press@kia-europe.com

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2512756/KIA_SoundCloud_EV.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2316606/KIA_LOGO.jpg

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/kia-ota-update-adds-soundcloud-and-enhances-ev-route-planner-and-voice-control-302255949.html

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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July 23, 2026

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

Published

2 minutes ago

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July 23, 2026

By

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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Fathom Applauds Introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the First Federal Blueprint for Independent AI Verification

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July 23, 2026

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Reps. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) introduce a bill to build a competitive marketplace of independent verifiers for frontier AI models.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fathom welcomes the introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the most complete federal framework yet for independent, third-party verification of frontier AI. The legislation is built to earn public trust as AI technology continues to accelerate. As frontier systems begin to take autonomous action in the world, the gap between what these models can do and our ability to keep them in check is widening. FRONTIER is the starting point to close that gap.

“AI governance keeps running into the same wall. The technology is hard to measure and it moves faster than any law can keep up with,” said Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Fathom. “Trying to write the perfect rules and freezing them in place won’t work. What will work is a competitive market of independent verifiers who are accountable for real-world outcomes and who the government can actually count on. The FRONTIER Act shows we can move fast and still get this right.”

The bill gets the fundamentals correct. It sets one public standard – the adequate mitigation of catastrophic risk – and holds both the AI companies and their independent verifiers accountable to it. FRONTIER does not freeze a single testing method into statute. Instead, it licenses competing verification organizations, allows them to sharpen their methods, and gives the government the power to revoke a license when a verifier’s work does not hold up in the field. That is how you build a system that keeps pace with the science instead of falling behind it.

Fathom thanks Reps. Trahan and Obernolte for their leadership, and for their courage in releasing a discussion draft, inviting scrutiny, and incorporating substantive improvements from across the field. One priority improvement as the bill advances: giving the government a fuller range of tools to act upstream – for pushing companies to close identified gaps in risk mitigation early, rather than only once a catastrophe is imminent. We are committed to working with these sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, and Congressional leadership to continue refining the bill in the weeks and months ahead.

About Fathom
Fathom is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to build a governance architecture that helps society navigate the transition to a world with AI by fostering trust, safety, and innovation. Fathom has developed and championed the independent verification model for AI and works with policymakers across the country to put it into practice. Learn more at http://fathom.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fathom-applauds-introduction-of-the-frontier-act-the-first-federal-blueprint-for-independent-ai-verification-302833546.html

SOURCE Fathom AI Inc.

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