5GAA: Connected cars share emergency information via satellite the first time

For the first time worldwide, the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) presented connected vehicles in Paris on Thursday that use internet services via satellite to exchange information about emergencies with each other and with the road infrastructure. This should ensure that appropriately equipped cars can warn each other in the event of accidents, sudden obstacles or difficult weather conditions, even in remote areas without a mobile phone connection.

Advocates of greater road safety have been praising the potential of corresponding systems for “vehicle-to-everything” communication or “car-to-car communication” (C2X) for years. This involves communication between vehicles and their surroundings. Up to now, this has usually taken place via 4G or 5G. Thanks to corresponding standards, cars or trucks can communicate with each other, with infrastructure such as traffic lights or crash barriers, pedestrians, the network, and other road users in real time.

The new satellite capability was demonstrated in the French capital by members of the global alliance from the automotive, telecommunications and IT industries, such as BMW and Stellantis, as well as technology partners Anritsu, Cubic3, Deutsche Telekom, Harman, Jember, LG Electronics, Qualcomm Technologies, MediaTek, Rohde & Schwarz, Rolling Wireless, Skylo, Vedecom Institute and Viasat. According to the 5GAA, the showcase focused on the realization of use cases such as hazard warnings and emergency messages in vehicles. They showed how “off-terrestrial networks” can complement 4G and 5G connections in the future.

Switch between satellite and 5G on the market by 2027

As part of the pilot project, “ubiquitous connectivity in the car for networked services” was also demonstrated on public roads with the help of satellites, according to the consortium. Seamless integration and on-the-fly switching between the two network types can also help to maintain voice communication in dead spots, for example. The performance of this solution has been measured and verified in parallel with test devices, emphasizes the 5GAA. In the future, drivers will probably not even be aware that a satellite connection is being established and that a terrestrial network is not being used.

According to the 5GAA roadmap, the alliance expects the market launch of relevant satellite services in vehicles by 2027. In February, Eutelsat, MediaTek and Airbus Defence and Space successfully tested a 5G mobile connection via satellite for the first time worldwide. The Franco-British company thus achieved a stage victory over Elon Musk's US satellite network Starlink: 5G works with standard cell phones, while Starlink has so far required special equipment and satellite dishes for Internet connections.

5G-V2X Direct in real operation for the first time

At the same time, according to the 5GAA, member company Valeo, in collaboration with Marben, demonstrated 5G-V2X Direct under real-life conditions for the first time. Two vehicles exchanged sensor data and issued a warning about a crosswalk at a closed intersection. This demonstrated how 5G-V2X Direct enables enhanced protection for vulnerable road users. This standard was developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and published in the so-called Release 16 specifications. It builds on the previous version LTE-V2X and is intended to offer higher data transmission rates, lower latency times and improved positioning accuracy. 5G-V2X is scheduled to be widely available between 2026 and 2029, initially in commercial vehicle models.

Another part of the demo: interoperable V2X platforms with vehicles, mobile applications and smart intersections equipped with cameras and connected via 5G. These are intended to enable “collective perception” to increase the safety of road users. Harman and U-blox also demonstrated quasi-real-time electronic emergency brake light (EEBL) alerts to draw attention to heavy braking.

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