Just in time for CES 2019, the city of Las Vegas, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) and Qualcomm Technologies announced the implementation of C-V2X vehicle communication technology in Las Vegas.
C-V2X-enabled roadside units (RSUs) will be installed along select roadways as part of a trial program to demonstrate the benefits of C-V2X technology as well as advance commercial deployment. The trial also serves as the first public installation of C-V2X in Las Vegas.
It’s a nice coup for Qualcomm as it seeks to further evangelize C-V2X for safer roadways. Although the company is also a player in the 802.11 space, it’s been a strong proponent for cellular-based roadside safety programs as opposed to the 802.11p-based Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) systems that some automobile manufacturers are pursuing. Qualcomm insists that C-V2X is the superior technology for performance and provides an evolutionary path to 5G.
“Building on the traction of C-V2X implementation in innovative cities across the world, Qualcomm Technologies is pleased to be working with the City of Las Vegas and the RTC to provide a foundational element for enhanced vehicle connectivity to create safety conscious and more efficient roadways,” said Nakul Duggal, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, in a press release. “Working together is essential to bring about the full potential of C-V2X, which is to improve road safety while revolutionizing public transportation. This is why we are looking forward to playing a key role in establishing Las Vegas as a leading hub for autonomy and smart transportation technologies.”
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Vehicles equipped with C-V2X capabilities will use aftermarket on-board units (OBU) to demonstrate Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) use cases, including signal phase and timing and traffic messaging to vehicles. The trial will use Commsignia’s C-V2X RSUs and OBUs, the ITS-RS4-C and ITS-OB4-C respectively, both of which use the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset solution based on 3GPP Release 14 specifications.
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Qualcomm points out that C-V2X is designed to be globally compatible with 5G and complement other advanced driver assistance systems sensors, such as cameras, radar and light detection and radar. C-V2X direct communication mode is designed to offer vehicles low-latency communications for V2I, Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian without the involvement of a cellular network, or cellular network subscription, by operating on designated and harmonized 5.9 GHz ITS spectrum.
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Recent field test results show a significant range, reliability and performance advantage of C-V2X direct communications, with more than twice the range and improved reliability compared to 802.11p radio technology, according to Qualcomm.