NTT Data noted that the private 5G connectivity infrastructure includes a network architecture known as neutral host, using the CBRS public radio frequency spectrum
Openvia Mobility and NTT Data are currently working towards the deployment of private 5G networks for roads in the United States, NTT Data said in a release.
Openvia Mobility has promoted and developed NeoRoads, a program to digitalize conventional roads and turn them into smart and connected roads.
To implement this proof of concept, both companies have developed a plan for the deployment of 5G infrastructure and associated functionalities that allow connectivity, driven by cloud and edge computing technology.
The partners are currently using the Pocahontas Parkway in the city of Richmond, Virginia, as their first test scenario.
NTT Data is providing knowledge and experience in the field of mobile communications, specifically 5G and digital technologies. Openvia Mobility, for its part, is integrating the communications network with its “data fusion algorithm” and artificial intelligence to carry out the automatic detection of traffic events in real time. That information is to be extended to highway users through the 5G mobile network.
In the next phase, the network deployed by NTT Data will be integrated with the mobile network of a telecommunications carrier, allowing users to maintain coverage and simultaneously access the added services that the private 5G network offers to the highway.
In this case, NTT Data noted that the private 5G connectivity infrastructure is neutral-host and uses CBRS spectrum. This makes it possible to offer the same infrastructure to different telecommunications operators and users, when they are within the Openvia Mobility coverage area, to maintain their connectivity throughout the journey and to be able to enjoy the services created on top of this network with 5G capabilities, the company added.
In addition to the deployment of the 5G network, NTT Data has played a key role in supporting Openvia Mobility in the documentation and validation of the project with the public agencies and road authorities of Virginia.
“NTT Data will provide an end-to-end solution for an industry that is starting the disruption journey, by investing in new technologies. This topic is fully aligned with our direction of better society, helping to improve Sustainability through advanced use cases that will come in the near future,” said Kaz Nishihata, director and senior executive vice president, at NTT Data.
“We are convinced that this deployment, a pioneer in our sector, is one of the definitive levers that will allow us to operate smart and connected roads in a more agile way in which we will offer our users a new, easier, more comfortable and, above all, safer way of travelling. We started in the U.S. market, but our goal is to develop NeoRoads in other parts of the world soon,” said Fernando Vallejo, chief innovation, information and sustainability officer at Globalvia and OpenVia Mobility managing director.
