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

  • With C-ITS we can get ourselves connected
    June 27, 2025
    Workzones need to be safer for drivers and workers – and the technology exists to harmonise safety with mobility needs, says Swarco’s Daniel Lenczowski
  • Healthy growth projected for driver assistance systems market
    September 22, 2014
    The value of the blind spot detection system market is projected to grow US$2.8 billion and adaptive cruise control system market to grow US$6.1 Billion by 2019 at a healthy CAGR of 22.8 per cent and 16.9 per cent respectively from 2014 to 2019, according to the latest report from Research and Markets. The report, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) System and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) System Market for Passenger Cars; by Geography - Trends and Forecasts 2014-2019, says that automotive adaptive cruise contr
  • Airborne traffic monitoring - the future?
    March 1, 2013
    A new frontier in the quest to monitor road traffic is opening up… but using airborne drones to reduce the jams comes with some thorny issues. Chris Tindall reports. Imagine if you could rely on a system that provided all the data you needed to regulate traffic flow, route vehicles and respond swiftly to emergencies for a fraction of the cost of piloting a helicopter. That system exists, but as engineers and traffic managers start to explore the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – more commonly k
  • Rapid growth of bus rapid transit schemes on US Pacific coast
    January 27, 2012
    This section pulls together all the multi-modal topics in each issue. Subject matter will include smartcards; ticketing and payment systems; passenger information systems; fleet management for buses, trains and light rail; park and ride systems; on-line access to real-time information via Internet portals