Skip to main content

FCC unlocks new airwaves for vehicular radar use

The US Federal Communications Commission has expanded the spectrum available for vehicular radars that are used for a variety of purposes, including safety applications like collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control. The agency’s action expands the current 76-77 GHz spectrum allocation to include the entire 76-81 GHz band and transitions radars out of the 24 GHz band. This is consistent with the spectrum that is available internationally, avoiding the need to customise the radars in vehicles for diffe
July 18, 2017 Read time: 1 min
The US 2115 Federal Communications Commission has expanded the spectrum available for vehicular radars that are used for a variety of purposes, including safety applications like collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control.


The agency’s action expands the current 76-77 GHz spectrum allocation to include the entire 76-81 GHz band and transitions radars out of the 24 GHz band. This is consistent with the spectrum that is available internationally, avoiding the need to customise the radars in vehicles for different markets.

“Access to this additional spectrum will enable continued innovation in this space, allowing these radars to better distinguish between objects in areas close to the vehicle,” the FCC said in a statement. “This action will improve performance for applications such as lane change warnings, blind spot detection, parking aids, ‘stop and follow’, ‘stop and go’, autonomous braking and pedestrian detection.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • EastLink demonstrates hands-free driving through Melbourne freeway
    April 6, 2018
    EastLink has demonstrated hands-free driving capabilities on a section of its Melbourne freeway to help provide Victorian drivers with a better understanding of the technology. For the test, a Honda CR-V VTi-LX carried out automated speed plus steering control, using the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist functions in an area of Eastlink closed to traffic. It was televised on 7 News Melbourne at 6.00pm on the 6 April 2018. The vehicle, according to Doug Spencer-Roy, EastLink’s corporate affair
  • Applied Info to buy back DSRC roadside kit
    November 20, 2020
    Applied Information makes offer following US regulator's decision on 5.9 GHz safety spectrum
  • Connected Vehicle Technology Demonstration
    May 1, 2012
    Connected Vehicle Cooperative Safety Systems use 5.9 GHz Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) to enable vehicle active safety systems which may help drivers avoid crashes. The United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) has partnered with the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) Vehicle Safety Communications 3 (VSC3) Consortium to research, develop and test the technologies that form the framework for these systems.
  • New Tesla models to have ‘full self-driving capability’
    October 21, 2016
    In its online blog, Tesla says that self-driving vehicles will play a crucial role in improving transportation safety and accelerating the world’s transition to a sustainable future. Full autonomy will enable a Tesla to be substantially safer than a human driver, lower the financial cost of transportation for those who own a car and provide low-cost on-demand mobility for those who do not. The company has announced that from now, all Tesla vehicles produced in its factory, including Model 3, will have th