Cellular carriers have always wanted to control the mobile and IoT ecosystems. Every time a new business model making use of their networks has appeared, they have wanted a piece of it and, in many instances, to own the whole thing.
Imagine buying a new laptop computer and being given a choice between WiFi and cellular connectivity. While many vendors offer the option of 4G LTE in high-end models, basic WiFi connectivity is standard in all commercial laptops. Having cellular connectivity on your laptop can be a huge advantage, but you don’t want to rely exclusively on it.
Connected cars have been around for several years, mostly using basic connectivity to provide information such as navigation systems and entertainment, and access to emergency services.
Now, after several years of testing and validating standards, a new set of services using wireless connectivity has arrived: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X).
Along with research on autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), many car manufacturers have been incorporating sophisticated communication systems into their vehicles, enabling drivers to access detailed information about road conditions and traffic problems. At the same time, these vehicles can now communicate with others and traffic infrastructure.
Cellular carriers and 5G infrastructure vendors want vehicle manufacturers to have the option of choosing what wireless technology for vehicle communication they want to use.
Different technologies can achieve the wireless connectivity between vehicles as well as infrastructure. Having a basic standard, however, is necessary to ensure that all new vehicles and services can share critical information. And that standard, according to the European Commission, is WiFi.
Europe has been working for 10 years to standardize V2X services
In 2008, the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) issued a recommendation (ECC/REC/(08)01) and decision (ECC/DEC/(08)01) regarding intelligent transport systems (ITS) in the 5.9GHz band.
In August 2008, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) allocated 30 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band for ITS. The same year it was approved by the European Commission (2008/671/EC).[1]
The CAR2CAR Communication Consortium (C2C-CC) stated that initial deployment could begin as soon as this year in Europe using dedicated short-range communications (DRSC) ITS-G5[2] for establishing communication between vehicles from different automobile manufacturers for implementation in the 5.9 GHz frequency band.
This technology is perceived as especially useful for V2X communications because it can support very low-latency, secure transmissions; fast network acquisition and in general, the ability to handle fast and frequent handovers that are inherent in a vehicle environment; as well as being highly robust in adverse weather conditions. Being based on the IEEE 802.11p standard, it has a clear evolutionary path, is non-proprietary and uses unlicensed spectrum. V2V and V2X communications need to run reliably over the life-span of a vehicle, which is estimated to be 10-25 years. The ITS Directive takes this explicitly into account and protects existing systems, mandating specifications to be ‘backward compatible.’
EU Commission embraces ITS-G5 – IEEE 802.11p
Last month, the European Commission finally issued the delegated act (bill) supplementing Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament[3]. The European Parliament finally approved the document on April 17.
European Parliament – Image by Cuong DUONG Viet from Pixabay
“The benefits of C-ITS span a range of areas and include better road safety, less congestion, greater transport efficiency, mobility and service reliability, reduced energy use, fewer negative environmental impacts, and support for economic development. At the same time, care must be taken to avoid potential negative effects, e.g, increased traffic demand because of these improvements, drivers experiencing information overload, or the additional data sharing leading to greater cyber-security or privacy risks,” the document says.
The Commission act defines a hybrid approach, endorsing the ITS-G5 standard as the baseline technology for direct vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, while using LTE and 5G cellular technology for additional communication to remote infrastructure and cloud services.
The EU Commission Act aims to enable manufacturers, infrastructure providers, and governments to deploy services from day one that contribute to road safety and traffic efficiency.
Commissioner for Mobility and Transport Violeta Bulc said: “This decision gives vehicle manufacturers, road operators, and others the long-awaited legal certainty needed to start large-scale deployment of C-ITS services across Europe while remaining open to new technology and market developments. It will significantly contribute to us achieving our ambitions on road safety, and is an important stepping stone towards connected and automated mobility.”
The 5G industry and some car manufacturers are fighting the decision
While both the EU Commission and Parliament have reached a decision to establish DSRC as the baseline for V2X communication, the final approval will come from another EU regulating body, the European Council.
In most cases, the Council usually rubberstamps the decisions of the parliament. In the case of V2X communications, however, we can expect a fight.
In part two of this article we’ll expose the arguments of the 5G and DSRC stakeholders, and analyze why DSRC has the advantage.
[1] https://www.acea.be/uploads/publications/ACEA_position_paper-Frequency_bands_for_V2X.pdf
[2] “ITS-G5 is ready to roll.” https://itsg5-ready-to-roll.eu/.
[3] https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/legislation/c20191789.pdf
