Huawei highlighted the testbed is a step forward towards the commercialization of 5G services
Spanish telecommunications group Telefónica and vendor Huawei have completed what the companies claim to be the world’s first proof-of-concept (PoC) testbed for 5G based vehicle communication networks (5G-V2X) in their joint innovation lab at Madrid, Spain.
The two partners said that this PoC is another step to promote 5G commercialization and expand the 5G ecosystem.
The companies said the test for 5G-V2X technology is based on the latest 3GPP New Radio (NR) standard specification. Some of the most advanced 5G-V2X services include vehicles platooning, extended sensors, advanced driving and remote driving, among others.
In this PoC test, it was demonstrated that ultra-reliable and low-latency Communication (URLLC) can effectively support V2X with higher system capacity and better coverage, the involved firms said. The exercise achieved 99.99% reliability with a low latency of 1ms required for autonomous driving in a typical macro cellular outdoor environment, such as dense urban, suburban and rural areas. The companies also highlighted that this recent PoC test will pave the way for large-scale field trials with the upcoming commercial deployments of 5G wireless networks worldwide.
In the PoC, vehicles platooning is used as a typical test case for the advanced V2X services, where the platoon members are controlled by the 5G NR network.
“This PoC between Telefónica and Huawei is another step towards 5G commercialization and a fully connected society. We will strengthen our collaboration by verifying 5G key technologies. Multiple novel use cases will be developed and provided to our customers,” said Enrique Blanco, Telefónica’s global CTIO.
“The 5G-V2X PoC is another joint effort to pave the way for commercialization of 5G and lay a solid foundation to realize the 5G vision of enabling cooperative autonomous driving,” Wen Tong, Huawei Wireless CTO, said.
In related news, South Korean telecommunications operator SK Telecom said it has successfully tested self-driving automobiles using a 5G network.
SK Telecom said two of its self-driving cars operated on a 2 kilometer-track on 5 February and exchanged real-time traffic information through its ultra high-speed network.
The cars were able to sense the outside environment and avoid obstacles, slowing down at a school zone, the company said. SK Telecom said the vehicles also increased their speed when there was sufficient distance from other automobiles.
In September 2017, SK Telecom had announced the completion of a successful trial of a self-driving vehicle in public as part of the telco’s efforts in the autonomous and connected vehicle segment. The vehicle demonstration took place on the Gyeongbu Expressway, the most heavily travelled expressway in Korea, and the vehicle traveled approximately 26 kilometers at a speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour (50km/h on average). The telco explained that the car’s software has been designed to not exceed that speed in accordance to the government regulation on test-driving of autonomous vehicles.
In July 2017, SK Telecom has received a license from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for testing its autonomous driving car on local roads.
