Shanghai, China – On 16 November, The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) hosted its Second General Assembly. Following announcements of the association’s progress and growth worldwide, 5GAA inaugurated the Asia Pacific Roundtable. Here, regulators from China and South Korea joined the discussion, sharing industry trends for the Internet of Vehicles and future Intelligent Transport Systems, as well as a number of real-life demonstrations of technology that is being developed in this region.

5GAA is a unique organisation on the global stage: with leading members of the automotive and telecommunications industry as founders. The association aims to pioneer digital transformation on our roads, creating a safer and more sustainable road environment for all.

At the Asia Pacific Roundtable, Mr. He Guangjin from the Chinese TMRI (Traffic Management Research Institution) of MPS (Ministry of Public Security), presented the demonstration made at WIOT 2017 (World Internet of Things Expo) in Wuxi. This was the first demonstration from the Chinese public security industry where the LTE-V2X technology was employed. Additionally, it was so a premiere for the official traffic management system to be opened to vehicles on open roads. TMR also announced its plan to build a larger LTE-V2X pre-commercial trial including 20 to 50 intersections in 2018, to verify the broadcasting of real-time traffic conditions of intersections and the reception of information transmitted from vehicles. Additionally, TMRI is actively working on industry and national standards such as “Road Traffic Signal Controller I2V Information Distribution Interface Specifications”, “Adaptive Verification Management Regulation of Intelligent & Connected Vehicles (ICV) on Public Roads”, etc.

Dr. Cen Yanqing from the Chinese RIOH (Research Institution of Highway) of the MOT (Ministry of Transport) shared the important progress of the MOT. The ministry is paying close attention to automated driving and has already set up a dedicated working group to coordinate the corresponding ministries and guide the work on automated driving technology. In order to achieve automated driving, it is not sufficient to equip autonomous vehicles but it’s also needed to have an intelligent reformation of the road infrastructure and vehicle-to-road, vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-person communication and interaction in an effective way. To further promote the automated driving, the Ministry of Transport has built test zone for commercial vehicles verification in Tongzhou, Beijing, including specific scenarios e.g. ramps, intersections, and traffic lights.

When Dr. Cen was asked about whether MOT will mandate any technical specifications, he clarified there is no mandatory regulation so far. The MOT – as a department which uses technology – is opened to the utilisation of the V2X technology, but will select the best and most efficient technology eventually, he said. He also claimed that the MOT would support some of the Chinese telecommunication corporate contributions such as CMCC, Huawei, and Datang. Finally, he declared “we cannot implement two technologies but only one”.

Ms. Wang Zhiqin, from CAICT (China Academy of Information and Communications Technology) of MIIT(Ministry of Industry and Information Technology), explained that the national CAV (Connected and Automated Vehicles) industry development committee advises to promote the LTE-V2X technology deployment and application, and its evolution to 5G and internet of vehicles integration development. He also announced the release of the Guide to the Construction of Standard Architecture for CAV Industry Development jointly developed by MIIT and NSC (National Standardization Administration), in which the LTE-V2X and 5G technologies are greatly highlighted in the information and communications volume. When asked about the spectrum of the Internet of Vehicles in China, Ms. Wang expressed that the government attaches great importance to it and needs prompt issuance and release of a positive guidance to the industry. She believes China should release this C-V2X spectrum relatively soon.

Mr. Chang-ki Kim, from the MOLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport) explained that his division in Korea is implementing two strategies to promote the commercialisation of Internet of Vehicles. The first strategy consists of focusing on the C-ITS safety aspect by developing and commercialising the RoDAS (Road Driving Assistant Systems) by 2020 in accordance with the National ITS Master Plan. As CAV (Connected and Automated Vehicles) will improve road safety issues under the mixed condition of AV (Automated Vehicles) and LV (Legacy Vehicles) in both highway and urban areas. MOLIT will launch, as its second strategy, the transportation renovation program by promoting and integrating the C-ITS and CAV technologies under their CAD (Connected and Automated Driving) Test-beds. Additionally, he emphasised that deploying those Test-beds in Korea would include the verification of various communication techniques, e.g., C-V2X (LTE, 5G), under the real and dynamic road environment. Mr. Kim expressed his intention to invite all ICT and CAD testing companies to conduct their service applications and to develop their cooperation and sharing models by joining those Test-beds.

Shanghai, China – 16 November 2017 – following the 5G Automotive Association General Assembly Meeting, 5GAA leadership, delegates as well as representatives from Chinese and South Korean government participated in a testbed visit. This practice case was then followed by eight use-cases, demonstrating the success of the LTE-V2X advances. Both of these actions took place at the purpose-built Shanghai district – Testbed F-zone and T-Zone – where the latest developments in vehicle technology are assessed.

1. Realizing LTE-V2X’s capacity: Visit to F-Zone

Huawei LTE-V leader for Research & Development, Mr. Yangyongchao, opened the visit by showcasing LTE-V2X testing reports as well as running a live test result. This series of LTE-V2X performance tests were measured in terms of the technology’s capacity to manage two variables (link level and system level). This analysis was managed by the partnership of China Mobile (CMCC), SIAC and SAIC Motor.

• Link Level Testing: LTE-V2X can support relative vehicle speeds of up to 500km/h, even with correction for timing and frequency errors. LTE-V2X shows excellent link performance with different packet size. The maximum RSU coverage range reaches more than 1km from the test vehicle.
• System Level Testing: 400 vehicles were analysed in this trial environment. Based on this, the capacity and of Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle- to-Infrastructure is smaller is functional in a range of 20 metres. Messages were transmitted at a success rate of 90% within the demanded communication range in high-density scenarios.

Right after this presentation, SIAC led the delegates to visit the site of F-Zone. Mr. Lilin, director of SIAC explained that F-zone  is an enclosed area conducting different scenarios such as parks, urban roads with intersections, simulated highway and related road facilities. Additionally, F-zone is the national level Intelligent and Connected Vehicles test zone equipped with background vehicles, positioning capability and telecommunication infrastructure, including LTE-V2X based RSU, base stations that support both LTE and LTE-V2X, and assisted by operation system.

2. T-Zone visit

After the inspection of F-Zone, delegates visited C-V2X demonstration in T-Zone and observed eight cases in SAIC Motor’s intelligent connected vehicle operated with China Mobile and Huawei. The technology showcased was powered by 5G-V2X. This opened the vehicle up to possibilities such as Tele-Operated Driving, LTE-V2X based Platooning, Forward collision warning, Traffic light speed advisory and Vulnerable Road user warning. Dr. Liu Fen, also explained that with the abundant communications environment in T-zone and more C-V2X functionality can be realised in the future.

Christoph Voigt, Chairman of 5GAA, views these advances with optimism: “Today’s opportunity to see the fantastic progress from SIAC, SAIC Motor, China Mobile and Huawei is a demonstration of the unlimited possibilities that investing in 5G and LTE -V2X technologies hold. We know that C-V2X technology has the capacity for high-speed, high-density communication between vehicles, infrastructure, and pedestrians. Following further research and collaboration with our members and policy makers in governments around the world, 5GAA is looking forward to introducing this technology globally.”

Dino Flore, Director General of 5GAA is proud of the extensive partnerships that the association has fostered: “5GAA’s aim is to act as a bridge between the automotive and telecommunications industries. I would like to thank our hosts today in Shanghai for their hospitality and proudly showcasing the possibilities promised by C-V2X and 5G. Our organisation is focused on accelerating research and delivering solutions to society to build safer and more sustainable transport for our citizens. Today’s demonstrations are proof of what future holds.”  

About the 5GAA
The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) is a global cross-industry organisation 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 is comprised of over 67 members which mission is to develop, test and promote communications solutions, initiate their standardization and accelerate their commercial availability and global market penetration to address societal need.

From 13-17 November 2017, the global members and invited guests of the 5G Automotive Association will assemble in Shanghai, China. The aim of the meeting is to promote the advancement of our mobility ecosystem as well as deepening the association’s collaboration with the Chinese automotive and telecommunications industries.

Over the course of the first three days (13-15 November 2017), 5GAA’s members will collaborate in Working Group meetings. This is a unique opportunity for global leaders in the automotive and telecommunications industries to share innovative practices and drive towards progress.

On the 16th November, The General Assembly will take place: a 1-day meeting where the association’s members will reflect on 2017’s achievements as well as outlining a vision for 2018.

5GAA is honoured to welcome illustrious representatives from Public Institutes to participate in the Asia Pacific Roundtable discussion on Thursday, 16 November 2017. The delegation will include Chinese representatives from the Traffic Management Research Institute of Ministry of Public Security, the Research Institute of Highway Ministry of Transport, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Road Bureau of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

Additionally, South Korean delegates from the Road Bureau of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport will participate. This Roundtable promises to generate interesting ideas.

Following the Roundtable discussion and in order to gain a greater practical understanding of the transportation advances in China, 5GAA will visit the Shanghai Testbed with a live demonstration of the power of LTE-V2X and 5G-V2X technology in transport.

Chairman of 5GAA, Christoph Voigt, underlines the importance of choosing China as the location for the Second General Assembly: “We are looking forward to further understanding the progress China can offer to advance 5G transport solutions globally. China is a strong supporter of deepening 5G connectivity to deliver safety and sustainability solutions on our roads. Our discussions with representatives from political and academic institutions in China will offer us an opportunity to gain support around the World and to innovate further, faster and more effectively.”

Since its launch in September 2016, 5GAA has grown exponentially worldwide. Over 60 industry leaders from the automotive, technology and telecommunications industries have teamed up to accelerate C-V2X technology development and its evolution to 5G-V2X for enhanced safety, automated driving, and connected mobility. Together, 5GAA members are building a safer, more sustainable and connected transport ecosystem.

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) represents the automotive and telecom industry’s alignment for the global connected and autonomous vehicle, supported by more than 50 member companies including many world class car manufacturers. 5GAA’s mission is to develop, test and promote communication solutions for the future of the 5G automotive economy in Europe and globally. The 5GAA is actively contributing to ETSI, 3GPP and ITU in the fields of standardisation and spectrum-related matters. The 5GAA is committed to accelerating Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) standards seamlessly embracing 4G and 5G, and would like to call on the European Commission to support stakeholders in this collaborative process by providing leadership and timely regulatory support.

The GSMA, which represents the Mobile Network Operators globally, has succeddfully collaborated with the Automotive Industry for many years. Together we have created secure solutions that have advanced the Connected Car market with major benefits to consumers. Cellular V2X will enable further cross-industry collaboration with government agencies in cities and transport. The GSMA believes that C-V2X will contribute to safer vehicles, reduce congestion and pollution. It will build upon the existing 23 million existing Cellular Connected Car market in Europe and drive the deployment of Digital Europe.

The 5GAA is keenly aware of the imperative for road safety and the need for Europe to assert 5G leadership while ensuring spectrum efficiency. Given the longevity of vehicles and the significant industry investment in cellular technologies, C-V2X will be of utmost importance as Europe and the world transitions to 5G in supporting mission critical applications and the massive opportunities associated with the introduction of a new global standard.

We therefore urge the European Commission to allow the ITS-G5 and C-V2X stakeholders to work collaboratively toward an agreement on the future of connected and automated cars, without a premature and cumbersome legislative decision.

The 5GAA is confident that the industry will ultimately align with a pragmatic solution that saves the most lives while embracing technology evolution, and managing complexity and cost. We firmly believe in and pledge to collaboratively work with other stakeholders on solutions that ultimately benefit the European Union. We encourage the European Commission to support technology neutrality, mitigating a significant risk that 5G in the key automotive vertical will struggle, thus impacting the European automotive industry and the future growth and global competitiveness of the EU economy.

Europe is an important pillar for members of the 5GAA and is leading the world in the development of smart transportation solutions. A considerable part of C-V2X innovation occurs in Europe, and will contribute to road safety, the development of smart cities and trans-border corridors, to achieve the efficiency and environmental objectives that ultimately benefit European citizens. 5GAA members are accelerating C-V2X with pre-commercial trials in Europe, and will culminate in global deployments.

We are strongly supportive of 3GPP technologies for direct communications over ITS spectrum to enable vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-pedestrian (and other vulnerable road users), i.e. C-V2X, while also leveraging vehicle-to-network over mobile operator spectrum. An important part of the ongoing 5GAA work is to support the European Commission’s policies laid out in the C-ITS Masterplan, as well as Gear2030 for Highly Automated Vehicles and the 5G Action Plan. We strongly rely on the European institutional support to enable a regulatory framework conducive to an industry-driven and swift deployment of the platform of their choice.

The 5GAA looks forward to continuing the dialogue with the European Commission and the various industry stakeholders in order to lay the foundation for a 5G automotive future in Europe.

Download the letter here

On July 2017 at the UTAC CERAM proving grounds in Paris, France the 5G Automotive Association and its members BMW Group, Groupe PSA, Ford Motor Company, Qualcomm Technologies and Savari showcased multiple automakers interoperating with C-V2X direct communications between passenger cars, motorcycles, pedestrians and traffic signals, without any cellular network involvement.

Discover the highlights of the demonstration on C-V2X Direct Communication Interoperability in the video below.

The 5G Automotive Association announced today the election of its new Board members following the General Assembly held on May 11, 2017. Continuing members AUDI AG, BMW Group, China Mobile, Daimler AG, Ericsson, Ford, Huawei, Intel, Nokia, SAIC Motor, Vodafone Group and Qualcomm Incorporated will be joined by AT&T, Jaguar Land Rover, NTT DOCOMO and Samsung Electronics.

The election of AT&T, Jaguar Land Rover, NTT DOCOMO and Samsung Electronics as Board members will strengthen the position of 5GAA as a global, cross-industry association of automotive, technology and telecommunications companies. It reflects the diversity of 5GAA’s membership, both in terms of geographical spread and expertise.

The Chairperson is Christoph Voigt (Audi) and the Vice Chairperson is Thierry Klein (Nokia), both elected to their second term. The Board of the Association renewed the mandate of the outgoing Executive Committee: Dino Flore (Qualcomm) will continue to serve as Director General, Markus Dillinger (Huawei) as Secretary, and Fathi Arafat Husein El-Dwaik (BMW) as Treasurer. The Board also confirmed the appointment of elected Working Groups Chairs and Vice-Chairs.

“We are very pleased that AT&T, Jaguar Land Rover, NTT DOCOMO and Samsung Electronics have joined the 5GAA Board,” said Christoph Voigt, Chairman of the 5GAA Board. “With their global footprint and diverse expertise, they will contribute to further connect communication and the automotive industry to develop end-to-end solutions for future mobility and transportation services.”

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) supports the goal of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to increase motor vehicle safety through the use of communications solutions. 5GAA is a new global cross-industry association of automotive, technology and telecommunications companies. 5GAA includes 42 members, of which 8 are founding members (AUDI AG, BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm). Our mission is to enable communications solutions that address society’s connected mobility and road safety needs.

5GAA, like the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), values safety first and foremost; this is what makes the immediate proceeding so important to us and why we are moved to offer the sum of our expertise in providing comments. To realize the full safety benefits of vehicle communications, NHTSA’s guiding principle must be one that allows for not only the best technology of today but also for the best technologies of tomorrow. Such an approach will promote innovation and competitive market-based outcomes, ensuring that American drivers and passengers benefit from the best and most advanced safety solutions available as technology evolves. This is particularly essential for regulations touching the communications industry, which has witnessed rapid technological innovation over the past two decades – with 4G cellular prevalent today and 5G on the horizon. By contrast, rigid technology mandates, whether direct or de facto, freeze technology solutions to a past point in time. With the communications market rapidly evolving, any technology NHTSA mandates today will be outdated by the time the mandate goes into effect, if not already outdated. This will significantly impede the innovation and evolution path for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) safety, and positions the US to lag behind the rest of the world in V2V communications specifically as well as V2X broadly.

For this reason, 5GAA respectfully cannot support the proposed V2V technology mandate predicated on the use of dedicated short-range radio communications (DSRC), a technology originally designed in the 1990s. The proposed direct technology-specific mandate, by definition, is on its face not technology neutral.  Similarly, the one-way interoperability requirement in the alternate “if equipped” proposal, where “alternative” technologies would be required to be backwards interoperable with DSRC, is flawed in that it would impose no reverse interoperability requirement on DSRC to ensure backwards interoperability with other technology solutions, including today’s Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (Cellular-V2X) solutions for V2V safety.

In effect, the “path” for compliance is not a path at all, but instead a dead-end for other technologies, as it creates a non-level playing field in the US V2V market.The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) supports the goal of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to increase motor vehicle safety through the use of communications solutions. 5GAA is a new global cross-industry association of automotive, technology and telecommunications companies.

5GAA includes 42 members, of which 8 are founding members (AUDI AG, BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm). Our mission is to enable communications solutions that address society’s connected mobility and road safety needs.5GAA, like the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), values safety first and foremost; this is what makes the immediate proceeding so important to us and why we are moved to offer the sum of our expertise in providing comments. To realize the full safety benefits of vehicle communications, NHTSA’s guiding principle must be one that allows for not only the best technology of today but also for the best technologies of tomorrow. Such an approach will promote innovation and competitive market-based outcomes, ensuring that American drivers and passengers benefit from the best and most advanced safety solutions available as technology evolves. This is particularly essential for regulations touching the communications industry, which has witnessed rapid technological innovation over the past two decades – with 4G cellular prevalent today and 5G on the horizon. By contrast, rigid technology mandates, whether direct or de facto, freeze technology solutions to a past point in time. With the communications market rapidly evolving, any technology NHTSA mandates today will be outdated by the time the mandate goes into effect, if not already outdated. This will significantly impede the innovation and evolution path for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) safety, and positions the US to lag behind the rest of the world in V2V communications specifically as well as V2X broadly.

For this reason, 5GAA respectfully cannot support the proposed V2V technology mandate predicated on the use of dedicated short-range radio communications (DSRC), a technology originally designed in the 1990s. The proposed direct technology-specific mandate, by definition, is on its face not technology neutral. Similarly, the one-way interoperability requirement in the alternate “if equipped” proposal, where “alternative” technologies would be required to be backwards interoperable with DSRC, is flawed in that it would impose no reverse interoperability requirement on DSRC to ensure backwards interoperability with other technology solutions, including today’s Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (Cellular-V2X) solutions for V2V safety. In effect, the “path” for compliance is not a path at all, but instead a dead-end for other technologies, as it creates a non-level playing field in the US V2V market.

Read the full paper here.

The Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) took a “concrete” step in its strategy to focus on vertical industries by signing a MoU with the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) at the GTI Summit 2017 (read more).

(Barcelona, February 27, 2017). The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) and the European Automotive Telecom Alliance (EATA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The aim of this partnership is to foster cooperation in the field of connected and autonomous driving solutions as well as standardisation, spectrum and related use cases.

The 5GAA and EATA are dedicated to prioritising the use cases identified by the two organisations in order to identify the technical requirements that need to be addressed, both in the short and in the long term. In order to better support standards for connected and automated driving, standardisation prioritisation for standards bodies such as ETSI, 3GPP and SAE International is necessary as well.

It’s beyond dispute that promoting spectrum-related issues (V2X), agreement on usage modalities of certain bands, security, and privacy, as well as vehicle safety requirements to be supported by both mobile network operators (MNOs) and vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) will need to be addressed jointly. Last but not least, the agreement between MNOs and OEMs is also key to developing business models and aligning the timelines of both industries.

The 5GAA includes 33 members, of which 8 are founding members (AUDI AG, BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm Incorporated). The 5GAA is a multi-industry association to develop, test and promote communications solutions, initiate their standardization and accelerate their commercial availability and global market penetration to address the societal need. Focus areas are the development, testing and promotion of communications solutions, the initiation of their standardization and the acceleration of their commercial availability and global market penetration to address society’s connected mobility and road safety needs with applications such as autonomous driving, ubiquitous access to services and integration into smart city and intelligent transportation.

EATA is comprised of six leading associations and 38 companies at present, including telecom operators, vendors, automobile manufacturers and suppliers for both cars and trucks. The main objective of the Alliance is to promote the wide deployment of hybrid connectivity for connected and automated driving in Europe. EATA’s first concrete step is the advancement of a ‘pre-deployment project’ aimed at testing the performance of hybrid communication required for automated driving under real traffic situations.

Furthermore, EATA seeks to identify and address service and technology roadmaps, safety and security
needs, as well as regulatory and business issues. The project will tackle cross-border interoperability, including digital and physical infrastructure, as well as vehicle localisation issues.

“The revolution that connected and automated driving is going to bring about at the societal level is already shaping Europe’s automotive and telecoms sectors at a rapid pace. This Memorandum of Understanding with the 5GAA not only brings the different industry partners closer together but also reinforces the European Commission’s strategy on cooperative, connected and automated mobility that was launched at the end of 2016. Car connectivity and automation will require a mix of communications technologies, but it is clear that 5G technology can become a key enabler of Europe’s digital highways. Together, EATA and 5GAA will contribute to reinventing the driving experience.”

Erik Jonnaert, Chairman of the EATA Steering Committee

“5GAA was created to connect telecom industry and vehicle manufacturers to develop end-to-end solutions for future mobility and transportation services. We look forward to working with EATA to define the requirements of C-V2X and to create a successful V2X ecosystem.”

Christoph Voigt, Chairman of the 5GAA Board

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) is pleased with the opportunity to provide an industry consortium view on the RSPG’s draft opinion on spectrum aspects of ITS. Spectrum for ITS is important to 5GAA, as our association was founded on the prospect that direct communications between vehicles and the roadside units and pedestrians is critical to road safety and automated driving.

We are committed to the realisation that direct 4G and eventually 5G communications will supplement the ever-increasing coverage and capabilities of wide area cellular coverage. Consequently, with the proviso that Cellular V2X (C-V2X) technologies gain fair access to spectrum harmonised for ITS, the 5GAA is working diligently on technology, standards, and deployment models to considerably – even transformational – to enhance safety and mobility on roads and railways in Europe.

We see a great promise by integrating cellular systems in addressing the totality of transport communication requirements, fulfilling not only the important short-range ad hoc need but at the same time addressing the manifold communication links necessary for seamless multi-modal connectivity.

Read the full publication here.