Skip to main content

O2 and European Space Agency explore C/AV solutions

O2 and the European Space Agency are working together to support a project aimed at developing connectivity solutions for connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) in the UK. O2 says Project Darwin will seek to test new technology and solutions involving 5G and satellite communications over the next four years. Catherine Mealing-Jones, director of growth at the UK Space Agency, says: “AVs need robust, high-speed mobile data connections to operate effectively. Building the technology to link them to tele
June 28, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

O2 and 6780 the European Space Agency are working together to support a project aimed at developing connectivity solutions for connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) in the UK.

O2 says Project Darwin will seek to test new technology and solutions involving 5G and satellite communications over the next four years.

Catherine Mealing-Jones, director of growth at the UK Space Agency, says: “AVs need robust, high-speed mobile data connections to operate effectively. Building the technology to link them to telecoms satellites will allow you to take your car wherever you want to go, and not just to areas with a strong mobile signal.”

Derek McManus, chief operating officer at O2, says the research will aid the creation of “new transport ecosystems for the UK public and the companies that will offer these services”.

“Our approach to this project is part of our wider strategy to collaborate with British businesses, partners and start-ups to unlock the possibilities of 5G for customers and wider UK economy,” he adds.

Based in the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, the project will bring together Oxford and Glasgow Universities, Spanish satellite operator Hispasat, start-ups specialised in self-driving mobility solutions and Darwin Innovation Group Oxford – a company specialising in connecting terrestrial and satellite communications.

From July, the project will explore connected vehicle and vehicle-SIM platforms as well as artificial intelligence neural network integration. The project is expected to showcase the first ‘proof of concepts’ in 2020.

Related Content

  • July 8, 2019
    London needs just one road user charge, says report
    London’s patchwork of road charging schemes should be replaced by a single, distance-based user charge, according to new research. Apart from anything else, it would be much fairer… The UK capital’s multiple road charging schemes require a radical overhaul, according to a new report by the Centre for London thinktank. The suggested solution is to replace existing levies on drivers with a single, distance-based user charge which would more fairly reflect how much, and at what time, people are using London
  • September 2, 2022
    Ertico reaches for stars with ESA
    Agreement with European Space Agency will look at innovative tech for positioning
  • June 25, 2021
    EU connected transport at new Frontier
    Tech trials including AI, C/AVs and Big Data analytics will take place in Belgium, Greece and UK 
  • September 8, 2017
    European e-mobility shaping the future for global auto suppliers, strategy expert warns
    Speaking at this week's Frankfurt IAA International Motor Show, US strategy consultant Paul Eichenberg advised automotive suppliers seeking to protect or grow their business as automobile electrification rapidly emerges in Europe to ‘build the future now’. Eichenberg said that Europe is leading the automotive electrification charge globally. German automakers are already developing the electric technologies that will help them meet the next regulatory hurdle for emissions – the proposed Euro VII rules –