Through trials in Japan, Continental, Ericsson, Nissan, NTT Docomo, OKI and Qualcomm Technologies aim to demonstrate the improved range, reliability and latency of Cellular V2X (C-V2X) operated in the 5GHz band. The C-V2X solution will use direct communication technology as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in its Release 14 specifications.
The trials are also intended to show the benefits of network-based communications using LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). The hope is that the results will benefit ITS organisations and government agencies in the transition to connected cars and 5G New Radio (NR), the new cellular standard.
The trial should begin in 2018. Use cases will focus on V2V, V2I and V2P direct communications, and V2N operations over cellular network-based wide area communications with cloud access.
Continental will build and integrate connected car systems based on the Qualcomm C-V2X Reference Design (featuring the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset with integrated GNSS). To validate the technology, Nissan will select V2X use cases and develop test scenarios with key performance indicators.
Meanwhile, OKI will integrate the chipset into its roadside unit (RSU) to demonstrate V2I applications; Ericsson will participate in the discussion of V2N use cases, considering a combination of direct communication and LTE-A network technologies; and LTE-A network and V2N applications will be provided by NTT Docomo.
“The C-V2X solution is unique in that it, within a common technology and ecosystem, offers both network-based and direct communication for V2X services,” said Erik Ekudden, chief technology officer at Ericsson.
“With the network-based communication, there is a possibility to provide traffic safety and traffic efficiency services utilising already-existing coverage and penetration of cellular modems and smartphones. It also provides connectivity to various cloud-based services, providing a range of applications and value-added services.”
“With the data made available by this real-world trial, we will be able to accelerate our development to offer new services in a timely manner, once the 5G technology is available,” said Tetsuo Sasaki, general manager of the connected car and services engineering department at Nissan.