5G Automotive Association’s Position Paper on the eCall Legacy Fleet

5GAA welcomes the renewed attention and subsequent discussions on Next Generation eCall (NG eCall) and the legacy fleet, following the second phase of the IDIADA study, presented on 12 December 2023. Whilst the opportunity to address the critical issue of the legacy fleet is welcome, we wish to draw attention to some key industry concerns.

In this position paper, we underline that industry cannot be held liable for the lack of service continuity of 112-based eCall for the legacy fleet, which result from obsolete legislative requirements. Since both retrofit as well as the extension of 2G/3G networks are implausible, we call for public authorities to take responsibility in informing users in the event of eCall failure, in instances outside industry control. We also encourage further research to be carried out to revise the current eCall regulatory framework so that it becomes future proof and does not lead to the same situation in the future as we have now once NG eCall becomes obsolete, or 4G networks are being transitioned to other technologies. This should be based on a transparent dialogue between authorities and industry to find the right solution.

Read about 5GAA’s position here.