David Lister, Vodafone Group’s 5G research manager, and Bob Banks, Vodafone Group’s R&D programme manager, have issued a new blog post on the company’s LTE-V2X trials and how it relates to the company's work on the future 5G standard.
They explain that "LTE-V2X enables cars to chat with each other to improve road safety and efficiency", and as "cars have been getting smarter and safer, partly due to the role of embedded cellular communications", 5G promises to "accelerate this trend".
If you have a modern car, then it likely already supports "eCall, which automatically notifies emergency services in the event of a crash, providing information such as vehicle type and location".
Our intrepid car comms adventurers ask: “Wouldn’t it be better if there were fewer crashes, reducing the 25,000 annual fatalities on European roads?”
Of course, people in the US, Australia, Asia and elsewhere where cars exist presumably want to ask the same question, but clearly the tests have to start somewhere, and for Vodafone UK, this is in Europe.
We are told that "while some of the features in new cars such as automatic braking, lane-tracking and blind spot warning already help to reduce crashes, they depend on sensors within the vehicle which have a limited range".
So, what is Vodafone doing?
It is "now testing new technology to enable vehicles to talk to each other and to roadside infrastructure over greater distances".
Lister and Banks tell us that "this is the aspiration associated with an intelligent transportation system (ITS) that promises to bring about a transformational change to driving, vehicle safety and traffic congestion management".
The explanation continues, stating that "with this system, vehicles will be able to become much more aware of both their immediate and surrounding environment. For example, a car which is part of the ITS will be able to tell other cars of its intention to change lane or to signal an emergency stop. The vehicle could also be told the optimal speed to drive in order to avoid traffic congestion".
They said that "one of the key communication paths to be used in the ITS is vehicle to vehicle communications.
"This technology will be based on extensions to the widely used 4G standard commercially deployed around the world.
"By building these capabilities on the worldwide 4G standard we can ensure safe, reliable communications whilst making the most efficient use of radio spectrum and support a smooth transition to 5G".
So, what is LTE-V2X exactly?
The blog post explains that Vodafone is "currently driving the development of this new technology, known as LTE-V2X which means connecting vehicles (V) to everything (X)".
The company says that it, and its industry partners "are developing LTE-V2X through the standards organisation 3GPP".
Vodafone says it has "already completed an initial validation of LTE-V2X on a private test track in the UK" and is "actively developing plans to trial it in Germany".
Furthermore, Vodafone says that "as with all our products and services, making sure customer data is secure and their privacy is protected is central to the design, development and delivery of LTE-V2X".
Clearly, "achieving communication between vehicles and infrastructure is an important step that will lead to full automation of cars after 2020".
Vodafone proudly boasts its is "excited to be trialling the technology that will bring new 5G capabilities to vehicles enabling safer and smarter driving for all".
The company says anyone lucky enough to be "attending the Paris Motor Show can see and hear more about this activity and get an insight into some of our other LTE-V2X activities by visiting the Vodafone-Huawei co-branded stand in Pavilion 3, Hall 231".
Just watch out for the gangsters in Paris who targeted Kim Kardashian and stole all her jewellery, something that smart cars and IoT devices of the future will likely have vastly more success in tracking so the authorities can apprehend them much more easily!
Source: itwire
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