During the last decade, a set of connected transportation services has been identified utilizing mobile network communication. One question that needs an answer is whether these transportation services can be handled by the current cellular networks or particular enhancements are needed in order to provide a commercially viable solution.

The present white paper analyses the architectural options for C-V2X communication and summarizes the considerations for the ability of the current networks to handle vehicular services by evaluating them against two particular use cases of interest: the Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) and the Vulnerable User (VRU) Discovery. The evaluation of the identified architectures further facilitates the extraction of useful conclusions for the cases where such architectural solutions may be applied. The analysis moves towards two directions, namely solutions that relate to PC5 interface and solutions that relate to Uu interface; the latter ones include the cloud enhancements. Additionally considerations on multi operator aspects of C-V2X communications are being presented and analyzed.

This document summarizes the effort performed in 5GAA on Network Architecture focusing on the evaluation and the proposal of enhancements related to Cellular V2X Architecture.

Click here to read the white paper.

On 12 and 13 February 2019, the 5G Vertical User Workshop, an initiative of 3GPP Market Representative Partners 5GAA, 5G-IA, 5G-ACIA and PSCE, was organised as a collaborative event for strategic dialogue between industries and 3GPP by exchanging on future needs and upcoming cellular standard developments. The workshop as a result, aimed to produce a report shared directly to 3GPP Project Coordination Group (PCG) as a mean to stimulate and facilitate greater involvement of the 5G Vertical Users in the 3GPP process.

The workshop held in Brussels brought together a host of experts from 5G standardization and a number vertical industries hoping to harness 5G including Automotive, Public Safety, Industry Automation, Utilities, Broadcasting, Satellites and Railways; as well as policy makers at the EU and Member State level.

Overall the event was successful in stimulating open dialogue and actions across all participants in an informal workshop setting that supported all involved to share their perspectives and experiences from their industry and standardization, and therefore how related processes may well be improved moving forward. Several possible options were discussed in terms of how to deliver improvements, and what corresponding changes to interaction could look like if required. Could this involve further workshops outside of 3GPP which could then drive action within the established channels? Or should there be alteration to vertical and MRP orientated rules of procedure to foster greater contributions?

Moreover, several open tools were discussed for better tracking activity and on-going work to make 3GPP more accessible to those joining, and those already, involved that may experience difficulties in contributing during this important period in the standardization of 5G. The need for such improvements are especially pronounced due to the forthcoming TSG#84 in December 2019, during which the completion of both Rel. 16 upon which 5G will be so dependent, and finalization of the scope for Rel. 17 are both scheduled.

There was a clear consensus among organizational partners and participants that an informal workshop and forum of this type was of use to help stimulate productive discussion on how to proceed with inter-MRP interaction in future.

In light of this, it was proposed that a second event with more focus on practical steps to be taken by 5G vertical industries and SDOs to improve vertical input would be of value, however the setting of this event is yet to be determined; interested Market Representational Partners will be coordinating to decide on the most effective next steps to convert what was valuable dialogue into impactful actions.

Until then, all involved expressed their great thanks to all who contributed to a workshop filled with rich dialogue, and hope based on continuing collaboration that this progress can be built upon over the coming months.

You can find all presentations here:

1. 5GAA – 5G Automative Association, pioneering digital transformation in the automotive industry
2. PSCE – Public Safety Communication Europe, National plans and roadmaps towards broadband
3. 5GIA – 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation
4. ESOA – EMEA Satellite Operators Association, 3GPP Market Representation Partners
5. EBU – European Broadcasting Union, Native 5G broadcasting
6. EUTC – European Utilities Telecom Council
7. 5GIA, 5G PPP Projects focusing on standardisation Verticals and Standards Tracker Tool + Pan-European 5G Trials Roadmap, and International Trials
8. 5G-PPP, Prestandards WG Status update
9. 3GPP, Verticals in 3GPP + Mission Critical Comms + Industrial Automation + V2X learnings in 3GPP

The C-V2X technology is set to revolutionise the mobility ecosystem and the way drivers interact with the world. It is essential to redefining transportation by providing real-time, highly reliable, and actionable information flows to enable safety, mobility and environmental applications.

5GAA believes C-V2X is key to achieving the level of connectivity required for V2X communication, and set to be a disruptive force in the automotive market.

Discover more on C-V2X technology in the video below.

The C-V2X technology is set to revolutionise the mobility ecosystem and the way drivers interact with the world. It is essential to redefining transportation by providing real-time, highly reliable, and actionable information flows to enable safety, mobility and environmental applications.

5GAA believes C-V2X is key to achieving the level of connectivity required for V2X communication, and set to be a disruptive force in the automotive market.

Discover more on C-V2X technology in the video below.

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) board took part in the public consultation launched by the Directorate General Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) of the European Commission on the C-ITS delegated regulation.

The consultation has 100 comments from individuals, associations and companies. In fact, some 5GAA members have submitted their own feedback. The variety of comments proves that there are clearly opposing positions regarding this regulation.

Concretely, in the submitted feedback, the 5GAA board calls upon the Commission to:

• Amend the draft Delegated Regulation to include LTE-V2X both short-range and long-range communications, via the related ETSI approved specifications and profiles on an equal footing with ITS-G5;
• Define interoperability as a “mutual” requirement among mature C-ITS technologies, namely ITS-G5 and LTE-V2X for short & long-range communications;
• Avoid legal uncertainty on the “fast-track” update process by:
  – Introducing a 6-month deadline for the Commission to make its decision publicly known as regards the initiation of an amendment procedure to include new technologies (e.g., 5G-V2X) or new C-ITS services;
  – Specifying clearly the terms, conditions and processes for the inclusion of other technologies (e.g. 5G-V2X) or C-ITS services, including unambiguous definitions of terms such as “existing”, “maturity” or “migration path”, etc.;
  – Include as an Annex to the Delegated Regulation a template for the “technical file” to be submitted;
  – Open up participation in the future C-ITS Expert Group to representatives of technology segments that are not within the scope of the draft Delegated Regulation today.
• We note that all elements required in the proposed process for updating the draft Regulation are already met by LTE-V2X:
  – All required profiles/technical specifications for LTE-V2X have been adopted by European SDOs;
  – Multiple vendors have already commercialised LTE-V2X short-range hardware and software solutions in Q1 2019 (and more are announced for Q2 2019);
• We also underline that many of the C-ITS priority services listed in Annex I of the draft Delegated Regulation have already been implemented using 3G and 4G (LTE) cellular networks for long-range communications (e.g. traffic jams, weather conditions, road works, etc.). Yet, this reality is not accounted for by the draft text which still only foresees the initial deployment of these services exclusively via ITS-G5 for short-range communications.

Read the full feedback submitted by the 5GAA board here.

 

 

Stakeholders from the automobile, wireless, and technology industries filed comments at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in support of the 5G Automotive Association’s waiver request seeking permission to deploy Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology in a portion of the 5.9 GHz band.

Click here to have a look at the official press release.

 

In December 2017 5GAA published the white paper “Timeline for deployment of LTE-V2X (V2V/V2I)” focusing on the introduction of direct communications with LTE 3GPP Rel.14. Since then Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) has gained a lot of momentum in the eco-system and we are at the verge of deploying the next generation of mobile network technology – 5G.

This updated timeline of the introduction of C-V2X covers the following topics:

1. The extended use of V2N for safety-oriented services in vehicles deployed on the roads
2. The comprehensive test and evaluation activities undertaken by the ecosystem consisting of OEMs, tier-1s, chip vendors, road operators, mobile operators as well as their suppliers and test equipment providers
3. Outlook on the evolution towards 5G including backward compatibility
4. C-V2X use cases for railways and respective test activities
5. Progress on regulatory aspects

The inclusion of 2G, 3G and 4G cellular communication technologies (V2N – Vehicle2Network) into vehicles (i.e. “Connected Cars”) has been extremely successful in delivering benefits for the vehicle, the driver, the automaker and other participants in the transportation and emergency services ecosystem.

At present, more than 100 million Vehicles connected to cellular networks (V2N) are on the roads.  This V2N connection is used for a wide variety of services including telematics, connected infotainment, real time navigation and traffic optimization, as well as for safety services including automatic crash notification (ACN) such as eCall, the recognition of slow or stationary vehicle(s) and informational alerts for events including traffic jams, road works and other traffic infrastructure related information, inclement weather conditions and other hazardous conditions. Several OEMs^[i] share safety related warnings between their vehicles and have started to exchange this information across OEMs using e.g. services from HERE Technologies. Other initiatives to share information by interconnected backend systems are the EU financed projects ‘Nordic Way’, Talking Traffic’ and the ‘Drive Sweden projects. These projects also interconnect Road Traffic Authorities, Road operators, OEMs and smartphone applications to share traffic related info. The current understanding, also based on the European C-ITS Platform Final Report, is that the nature of these warning messages is informational, and the driver is always responsible.

C-V2X is a recent term introduced for cellular technologies optimized for transportation and connected vehicles. In particular, the C refers to both 4G LTE and 5G NR (new radio) releases of specifications, whereas X refers to multiple things’ vehicles may connect with. C-V2X includes both network-based communications that have been in use for decades, such as vehicle-to-network (V2N), as well as a new complementary mode of operation first defined in the 3GPP Release 14 specifications and approved in June 2017, which allows direct communications between vehicles (V2V), as well as between vehicle and road side infrastructure (V2I and I2V) without requiring any cellular network coverage or subscription. It can further support vulnerable road users (e.g. vehicle to pedestrian, or V2P) by integrating the direct communications technology into mobile and other devices. The direct communications functionality is used to specifically support safety critical services to reduce collisions, support automated driving, and improve traffic efficiency. LTE-V2X is the 3GPP nomenclature for direct communications as specified in releases 14 and 15, whereas 5G NR-V2X is from Release 16 onward. 3GPP R14 also added network communications improvements, delivering increased data volumes, managing greater scale of connected devices, and can further reduce latency and provide for higher levels of reliability in V2N.  V2N is also technically known as Uu and refers to an endpoint such as a vehicle communicating with network infrastructure over operator licensed spectrum, whereas V2V/V2I/V2P is supported by direct communications operating on the ITS spectrum (e.g. 5.9GHz) and is known technically as PC5.

Click here to read the full version of this updated White Paper.

[i] https://www.autoblog.com/2018/05/07/volvo-cars-volvo-trucks-share-data/?guccounter=1#slide-7324246

 

In this white paper, 5GAA provides analysis on the benefits of using existing cellular networks for the delivery of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) services, in combination with RSU deployments. The analysis describes deployment options in terms of expenditures over a ten-year timeframe for the deployment of ITS services for vehicles communicating with infrastructure. For each option, the deployment costs, operation and maintenance cost, and connectivity costs are evaluated. The analysis highlights complementarity between cellular long-range technologies, i.e., mobile networks, using the cellular (Uu) interface and sidelink (PC5) technologies.

The paper defines the scope of services that can be reasonably delivered over cellular networks, and which services would require road side units (RSU) as an integral part of the solution. It also explains the state of the industry, highlighting examples where infrastructure services are already being provided over cellular networks today, as well as the architectural and technical considerations that are important to delivery of these services, such as spectrum, coverage, multi-operator and roaming agreements. The document details two different technical approaches: either build-out of dedicated RSU-based communication V2I infrastructure (C-V2X PC5 or 802.11p based ITS-G5/DSRC), or a mix of RSU and cellular based deployment. The cost models of these approaches are also analyzed, including the capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) considerations that are important for road operators. These different models are applied to a variety of road scenarios to clearly show that the cost of delivering ITS services with existing cellular networks is significantly lower compared to widespread RSU rollout – to the extent that without this approach, it may not be reasonable to deploy V2I services in some areas at all.

You can find the C-ITS Vehicle to Infrastructure Services: how C-V2X technology completely changes the cost equation for road operators white paper here.

 

The 5G Automotive Association and 47 of its members will be present at CES 2019

LAS VEGAS – January 7, 2019 – The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), the global, cross-industry organization of companies working together on future mobility solutions, will be at CES 2019 to discuss the future of transportation through 5G – including the critical role of Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) deployment.

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) will be present at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2019 on January 8-11 in Las Vegas. The global stage for innovation that has introduced breakthrough technologies over the past 50 years will have a special focus on autonomous and smart vehicles – from safety to policy roadmaps – and highlight the future of transportation through 5G. In other words, topics that 5GAA helps shaping across the world thanks to its network of over 100 members. And 47 of these leader companies of the telecommunications and automotive industries will help spread the message at the global stage event.

With a roll-out planned as early as 2020, 5GAA is pushing for the Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology – technology that helps making roads safer while also laying the groundwork for fully automated vehicles. The technology has also been selected as a CES 2019 Innovation Award Honoree in the “Vehicle Intelligence and Self-Driving Technology” category. Some 5GAA members, like Qualcomm, will be driving discussions on the subject at high-level CES panel conferences such as SAE’s Connect2Car conference session on 5G/DSRC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi. Audi, Ducati, Ford and Qualcomm with the support of other C-V2X ecosystem players will demonstrate advanced use cases enabled by C-V2X. Additionally, 5GAA members will highlight the achievement of significant milestones in the commercial introduction of C-V2X products.

When it comes to the application of the technology in the telecommunication industry:

• 5GAA founding member Ericsson will showcase its latest use of the C-V2X technology, demonstrating how the 4G/5G mobile networks will enable safety services for the connected vehicle and will be used to make self-driving cars a reality.
• Samsung and its subsidiary HARMAN will also showcase their scalable 5G Telematics module designed to enable wide-scale C-V2X communications.
• Working alongside the broad automotive and telecom ecosystems, Savari, Inc. will showcase its continued momentum in the development of its C-V2X real-time direct communications technology through its RSU and software stack. As an active member of the automotive association, Savari expects the 5G cellular compatible solution to bring benefits for road safety, automated driving and traffic efficiency as soon as 2020.
• Veniam and Bosch are both showcasing their jointly developed all-in-one central control unit for V2X data management and communication – together, the Veniam and Bosch solution demonstrates how to move massive amounts of data to, from and between vehicles on the road.
• With a deep focus on the technology, Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC) will showcase its 5G and C-V2X system and modular solutions designed to enable eco-system partners to promptly rollout in-vehicle and infrastructure applications.
• Continental will be showcasing a flexible 5G hybrid platform that allows both mobile network communication and rapid and reliable direct exchange of data. Depending on regional requirements and customer preferences, the platform enables C-V2X as well as Dedicated Short Range Communication. These benefits are being realized with a first customer award for this 5G-Hybrid-V2X solution.

As 2019 stands for the year for the connected cars ecosystem to prepare the ground for mass roll-out of the technology in 2020, 5GAA will be driving 5G innovation at CES as an official partner at the Allied Association corner located in South Hall 1. 5GAA representatives, including CTO Maxime Flament, will be available for briefings and interviews.

About 5GAA

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) is a global cross-industry organization of companies from the automotive, technology and telecommunications industries (ICT) working together to develop end-to-end solutions for future mobility and transportation services.
Created in 2016, the association includes over 100 members whose mission is to develop, test and promote communications solutions, initiate their standardization and accelerate their commercial availability and global market penetration, to address society’s connected mobility and road safety needs with applications such as automated driving, ubiquitous access to services and integration into smart city and intelligent transportation. For more information, visit 5GAA’s website, LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

Contact

Margaux Demeyer – Communications & Marketing

Tel: +32 (0)25882430
Mail: margaux.demeyer@5gaa.org

Marketing and Communications Team
Email: marcom@5gaa.org

The Association of Global Automakers, The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, 5G Automotive Association, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials issued the following statement in response to the recent filing by NCTA-The Internet & Television Association suggesting that spectrum reserved for transportation safety services should be repurposed:

The Association of Global Automakers, The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, The Intelligent Transportation Society of America, The 5G Automotive Association and The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials strongly support preserving the full 5.9 GHz band for transportation safety use, as it has been allocated.

Our members are actively developing technologies, and own and operate critical highway and other transportation infrastructure that connects vehicles to vehicles, to other road users, and to their environment to help reduce crashes. Connected vehicle and infrastructure technology includes vehicle communication with bicyclists, pedestrians, traffic lights, and advanced alerts of hazards like ice on roadways, commonly known as vehicle-to-everything (V2X). Additionally, they can enhance automated driving systems, which hold the promise to provide numerous economic, environmental, and societal benefits, such as decreased congestion and fuel consumption, and increased access for the elderly and disabled.

The entire 5.9 GHz band is needed to achieve the full benefit of these communication technologies in the years to come. These safety innovations require dedicated spectrum to ensure they work right every time without signal interference. Millions of dollars have already been invested in this effort, including incorporating connected vehicle technologies into infrastructure.

We are on the cusp of a major breakthrough in vehicle connectivity and safety innovations. With significant past and present investments in connected vehicle innovations, V2X technologies are already being deployed for the purposes of improving road safety. This will only continue moving forward. With 37,133 deaths on U.S. roadways last year alone, we must take every opportunity to save the lives of road users. Connected vehicle technologies offer the U.S. a powerful set of tools to save lives, but only if these technologies are given the ability to progress. We support protecting the entire 5.9 GHz band for transportation safety applications. Any unlicensed use in the band should be done without harmful interference to the incumbent technology or other intelligent transportation systems technologies.