First Test of Assisted Driving Test via the Mobile Network in a Real Setting

First Test of Assisted Driving Test via the Mobile Network in a Real Setting
SEAT

Telefónica and SEAT have presented the first use case in Segovia within the framework of the 5G Technological Cities project by equipping a both a vehicle and road infrastructure with technology enabling the exchange of information. It is the first step towards V2X (Vehicle 2 everything) vehicular communication using existing mobile networks in a real urban setting.

SEAT contributed an Ateca equipped with the latest connectivity technology that was modified to issue alerts to the driver through the instrument panel. The initiative was also carried out in collaboration with FICOSA, which manufactured the C-V2X (Celular V2X) communication device in the car; SICE, the owner of the road infrastructure which collaborated by equipping intersection traffic lights with connectivity, and Nokia, which implemented an MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) server, serving as the communication platform between the vehicle and the road infrastructure.

More specifically, the two use cases of assisted driving presented in Segovia consisted in the vehicle receiving an alert from a traffic light when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk in a blind right-hand corner; and the vehicle receiving an alert from a traffic light when it is about to change to red. According to its location, speed and course, the vehicle decides whether it has enough time to cross the intersection.

To achieve this, and with the goal of obtaining stable lower latencies, it was essential to implement the MEC server, where the application was embedded that operates as an intermediary between the infrastructure and the vehicle, making a pre 5G use case possible. Both use cases are based on the standard C-V2X protocol, used for the first time in Spain with this demonstrator, to enable vehicular communication via the existing mobile infrastructure.

This shows the potential there is when combining the C-V2X protocol with information gathered by additional sensors, to provide information about the surroundings of the vehicle and increase road safety. This experience is framed within the 5G Technological Cities project launched by Telefónica last January to turn Talavera de la Reina and Segovia into real 5G settings where both the technological implementation and use cases can be rolled out to highlight the capabilities of the new generation of mobile telephone technologies.