Vehicle Communications using IEEE 802.11p WAVE functionality includes structure and method whereby a smart phone (SP) linked to an On Board Unit (OBU) having WAVE functionality, and incorporating Automotive Telemetry Protocol (ATP), has at least one processor to configure the SP as a GUI for the OBU, and to enable WAVE authentication of the SP through a networked Road Side Unit. Preferably, the OBU opens, after a command from an ATP Client, a virtual connection for streaming data between the vehicle data bus and a remote server providing an automotive scan tool. Also preferably, the SP may use either cellular or IEEE 802.11 control signals to trialaterate its geographic position with greater accuracy than GPS, and to hand off the geo-position fixes to the OBU. Accumulated geo-location information may be reported to a remote server, providing a centralized geographic trend analysis of plural SPs operating with OBUs.