Qualcomm is using the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to promote its Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology which it is developing with carmakers around the world.
The company says its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, is “working with an ecosystem of leading carmakers and automotive suppliers to accelerate the commercial introduction of C-V2X technology using the Qualcomm® 9150 C-V2X chipset solution.”
It says Tier-1 suppliers, cellular module manufacturers, software solution providers and system integrators have expressed their support for the deployment of C-V2X technology in forthcoming production vehicles and roadside units (RSU) starting in 2019 and that it is currently conducting field validations working with car manufacturers and automotive ecosystem participants in Germany, France, Korea, China, Japan and the US.
“The continued advancement of cellular technologies into 5G is a necessary part of connected, cooperative and autonomous vehicles that will be able to support BMW Group’s vision of the car of the future,” said Maik Böres Head of Qualcomm’s Future Mobility Team. “As our cities and lives continue to become more connected, C-V2X is a natural solution to both deliver direct and network-based communications to fulfil a growing set of safety and informational use cases respectively, and Qualcomm Technologies’ announcement reflects the automotive industry’s acceleration to commercialise C-V2X technology with meaningful progress toward vehicle integration starting in 2019.”
Automotive ecosystem participants interested in delivering next generation products incorporating C-V2X technology using Qualcomm Technologies’ solutions include Tier-1 suppliers LG Electronics, Continental, Ficosa-Panasonic, Lear and Valeo, as well as cellular module manufacturers Gemalto, LG Innotek, Quectel, Sierra Wireless, Telit, WNC and ZTE. Qualcomm Technologies is also working with V2X software stack and application providers Cohda Wireless, Commsignia and Savari, along with system integrators Sasken and Thundersoft, to expedite C-V2X commercialization by helping the automotive ecosystem to take advantage of the industry’s decade-long investment in ITS software and standardized protocols such as ETSI-ITS, IEEE WAVE and SAE.
Qualcomm adds that C-V2X is designed to be globally compatible with 5G and complement other Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors, such as cameras, radar and LIDAR. C-V2X direct communication mode is designed to offer vehicles low latency communications for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Roadside Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) without the involvement of a cellular network, or cellular network subscription, by operating on designated and harmonised 5.9 GHz ITS spectrum. “C-V2X continues to gain worldwide support in the automotive industry and broader transportation ecosystem, with trials taking place across the globe,” a statement says. “The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), an industry organisation which supports C-V2X, currently has over 70 members including automakers, Tier-1 suppliers, mobile operators, semiconductor companies, test equipment vendors, telecom suppliers, traffic signal suppliers and road operators.”