Malaga, 24 October 2022 – C-V2X technology revolutionizes the mobility ecosystem and how drivers interact with the world, making smart cars a reality today. These cars communicate with their surrounding infrastructure, be it other cars or vulnerable road users, while providing a better driving experience. 5GAA is at the forefront of redefining transportation, by providing real-time, highly reliable, and actionable information flows to enable safety, mobility, and environmental applications.

Following extensive validation testing, off-the-shelf LTE-V2X chipsets, modules, On-Board Units (OBU) and RSU (Roadside Units) have been globally available from multiple vendors since 2018. 5GAA members capitalize on vehicular and smartphone connectivity to deploy unlimited safety benefits for drivers and vulnerable road users on roads across the globe.

Sixteen (16) 5GAA members gathered in Malaga on 20 October to showcase ready-to-deploy C-V2X technology and what the future has in store for the industry and vulnerable road user protection. EU-wide, there were 45 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2021, shows the European Commission figures on EU road fatalities for 2021, issued in October 2022.  

Prominent members and partners of the 5GAA including 5GCroCo, Anritsu, Autotalks, Commsignia, Continental, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Keysight, Molex, Nokia, Rodhe & Schwarz, Stellantis, Vodafone and Omniair demonstrated the current state of C-V2X and a wide range of applications for VRU protection.

C-V2X

“C-V2X continues to drive the automotive transformation – and is now the new reality.” says 5GAA Chairman, Christoph Voigt. “Our key asset, the C-V2X technology, became an important part of the worldwide V2X ecosystem. The live demonstrations we have seen here, in Malaga, show us time and again that C-V2X is ready for a future where we can use our current infrastructure to improve protection for vulnerable road users.”

Using both direct and mobile network communications, the open-road demonstrations showcased the extensive capabilities of today’s C-V2X technology, ready for deployment. To name a few:

• Protecting vulnerable road users and increasing the safety of cyclists on the road by alerting them of a possible collision
• Enabling smart intersections to enhance VRU safety by sending awareness messages to C-V2X-enabled cyclists
• Warning road users of traffic incidents between connected vehicles

The demonstrations were held at the Dekra Test Track, a private field-testing area dedicated to connected & automated driving in Málaga, Spain. The test track reproduces multiple traffic situations using different V2X communications systems and networks, as well as traffic elements like traffic signs, traffic lights, road cones, pedestrians’ simulators that allow setting up various test cases. Located in a private area of 51.000 m2 with roundabouts, straight and curved roads, intersections, traffic lights and signaling, this connected & automated driving test track is a state-of-the art facility that researches, develops, tests and certifies the mobility of the future.

Smart Cars

Cooperative driving, enabled by direct and network-based communication between all traffic participants through 5G and C-V2X, aims to prevent road incidents and traffic congestion. This connectivity is intended to help defuse critical situations such as turning, passing on rural roads, or merging into acceleration lanes. According to the 5GAA roadmap, 5G will also enable the mass deployment of new, advanced use cases for cooperative and automated driving by the late 2020s, for example dynamic intersection management, complex interactions with VRUs, or teleoperated driving.

Together with our members, 5GAA has embraced digital transformation and is creating opportunities for transportation innovation. Its goal is to develop end-to-end solutions for future mobility that improve traffic efficiency, driving comfort and road safety to ensure a secure and sustainable transportation ecosystem.