How 5G can transform transportation
The EU-funded 5GMED project recently reached an important milestone in its quest to further the EU’s goal of integrating European road and rail transport with 5G technologies that will function seamlessly across borders. Since its launch in 2020, the project has been striving to enable advanced cooperative connected and automated mobility and future railway mobile communication system services along the Figueres-Perpignan cross-border corridor between Spain and France. To demonstrate its achievements, on 25 and 26 October 2023 it held live demonstrations on this cross-border section that constitutes a vital part of the Trans-European Transport Network.
Demo days
The 2-day event was chaired by the European Commission and focused on showcasing achievements in four use cases: remote driving, road infrastructure digitalisation, future railway mobile communications and follow-me infotainment. The extensive testing conducted during this event can be seen in a video published by 5GMED. As explained in a press release published on ‘EIN Presswire’, the remote driving use case employs the 5G cellular network to demonstrate how autonomous vehicles can “request remote assistance in complex traffic situations, ensuring passenger safety and traffic efficiency.” Road infrastructure digitalisation involves the use of 5G to collect data from vehicles and roadside sensors. This data is then used to optimise traffic flow and improve road safety. For the third use case, future railway mobile communications, the 5GMED team demonstrated how onboard sensor monitoring, high-quality wifi and multi-tenant mobile services can help improve rail safety and connectivity. Finally, for follow-me infotainment, 5G was used to deliver “high-quality multimedia content, including live broadcasts, video conferencing and virtual reality to passengers traveling at high speed by car or train.” The video presents each of the four use cases in greater detail. The event demonstrated the transformative power of 5G in transportation. However, 5G does not only promise better entertainment through faster downloads and seamless streaming. Its true value lies in its power to reshape transportation globally. Self-driving cars that communicate instantaneously with one another, and smart traffic management systems that react to real-time data are all possible thanks to this technology.
Discussing key outputs
On 14 November 2023, 5GMED and the other EU projects leading the deployment of 5G technology in cross-border corridors (ICT-53) in Europe organised a webinar titled ‘Key Outputs from the ICT-53 Projects in Deploying 5G in Cross-Border Corridors Scenarios’. Two round table discussions were held. The first focused on the experiences, achievements and strategic plans of the ICT-53 projects. The discussion covered the main outputs of each project and included recommendations for successfully concluding these 5G initiatives. The second addressed critical challenges for 5G corridor deployment. Participants discussed the features lacking in current 3GPP standards and explored solutions for ensuring service and session continuity in intermittent or low-coverage areas. They also spoke about the challenges of using public roads and infrastructure for large-scale testing and the influence of cross-border aspects on these challenges. The 5GMED (Sustainable 5G deployment model for future mobility in the Mediterranean Cross-Border Corridor) project’s successful demonstration of 5G infrastructure deployed along the cross-border corridor between Spain and France could serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives in other regions. For more information, please see: 5GMED project website
Keywords
5GMED, 5G, cross-border, cross-border corridor, mobile communication, mobility, transport, transportation, rail, road
