Ericsson and Qualcomm are trialling the Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) standard for connected cars in Japan.
Working with Japanese operator NTT DOCOMO, the tests aim to demonstrate the range, reliability and latency of the 3GPP-ratified technology.
The trials will also try to show how C-V2X can work alongside the likes of LTE-A.
Beginning this year, they will look at vehicle to vehicle, vehicle to infrastructure, vehicle to pedestrian and vehicle to network communications.
Ericsson will participate in the vehicle to network trial, contributing 4G, 5G radio and network expertise, although it did not specify which, if any, of its products would be used. Qualcomm will contribute its C-V2X Reference Design, which features its dedicated connected car chipset.
Other partners in the trial include automaker Nissan, connected automotive company Continental and Japanese telecom hardware vendor OKI.
Results will be revealed to connected car stakeholders such as government agencies to help create an ecosystem around the technology.
Erik Ekudden, CTO at Ericsson, said: “In these trials, all stakeholders are present to showcase the strength of the complete solution covering both connectivity and different applications.”
Nakul Duggal, VP of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, said: “With its direct communications capabilities, C-V2X is ideally suited to be an important factor in facilitating enhanced safety consciousness and driver assistance. This Japan trial is a milestone in the global deployment of C-V2X technology which is expected to be featured in production vehicles by 2020.”
C-V2X, an LTE-based technology, is a major candidate technology for connected cars, offering both direct connectivity to other nearby objects and a link back to the cellular network.
Tom Rebbeck, Research Director for Enterprise and IoT at Analysys Mason, told Mobile Europe earlier this month that cellular V2X will likely be ready for commercial launch in the next 18 months.
5GAA published a report in December claiming C-V2X could bring annual benefits to the European Union of between €20 billion to €R43 billion by 2035, with the highest benefits coming from increased road safety and traffic efficiency.