ERTICO – ITS Europe is delighted to announce the start of the eagerly awaited 5G-MOBIX project, officially launched in Brussels on 27^th November 2018.

The new 5G-MOBIX project is an integral EU’s 5G Action Plan for Europe (5GAP) that brings together a united commitment and bold initiatives to ensure that the EU can use 5G connectivity as a strategic advantage to lead digital transformation and in particular in the area of Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM).

Allowing mobile telecommunication speeds 1000 times faster than 4G, coupled with decreased latency and increased reliability as well as consuming much less energy, the possibilities offered by 5G telecommunication are enormous and ensure that it will become a key part of society’s network infrastructure in the years to come. The deployment of 5G connectivity infrastructures along major transport paths is essential for the development of connected and automated driving/mobility solutions in Europe. The progressive uptake of these solutions has not only the capacity to bring down the number of road facilities, reduce road congestion and harmful emissions, but also societal implications like ensuring an inclusive mobility for impaired and ageing as well as improving the connection of the isolated regions.

Coordinated by ERTICO – ITS Europe, 5G-MOBIX brings together 46 partners from across Europe and is one of several projects supported by the EC that will run CCAM trials in cross-border and urban corridors across EU countries using technological innovations to evaluate the benefits of 5G. 5G-MOBIX will also define deployment scenarios, identify and respond to standardisation and spectrum gaps as well as understand the critical scenarios that require the advanced connectivity provided by 5G, and the features to enable advanced CCAM use cases. The matching between advanced CCAM use cases and the expected benefit of 5G will not only be tested in different EU countries, but in China and Korea as well.

These trials will allow running evaluation and impact assessments and define also business impacts and cost/benefit analysis. As a result of these evaluations and international consultations with the public and industry stakeholders, 5G-MOBIX will propose new business opportunities for the 5G enabled CCAM and recommendations and options for their deployment.

“ERTICO is really excited about this project because it will offer the mobility sector the opportunity to examine the implications of 5G and its role in the future of autonomous driving through trial and testing in cross-border corridors throughout Europe, China and Korea.” says Francois Fischer, 5G-MOBIX Project Coordinator.

Several automated mobility use cases are potential candidates to benefit and further be enabled by the advanced features and performance of 5G technologies, such as cooperative overtake, highway lane merging, truck platooning, valet parking, urban environment driving, road user detection, vehicle remote control, see through, HD map update, media & entertainment.

Recognising the transformative potential of 5G in the field of CAM, and driven by the ambition to make Europe a world leader in CAM deployment, the Commission, in its 5GAP has set ambitious connectivity targets, starting with a coordinated launch of 5G in all EU Member States by end 2020 and a rapid ramp-up of infrastructure deployment by 2025 to ensure full urban coverage as well as uninterrupted 5G coverage along main transport paths (roads and railways).