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.

Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK government funds connected vehicle development with a Flourish
    February 5, 2016
    The UK government has selected the Flourish consortium as a winner of its multi-million pound research grant to fuel development in user-centric autonomous vehicle technology and connected transport systems. The new programme, co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, will focus on the core themes of connectivity, autonomy and customer interaction. The three-year project, led by Atkins and worth US$8 million, seeks to develop products and services that maximise the benefits of connected and
    Read More
  • Loughborough University to develop test bed for connected /AVs
    December 1, 2017
    Loughborough University, the academic partner to London’s Smart Mobility Lab, has been awarded £500,000 ($676,000) as part of the project to develop a research programme enabling a real-world test bed for connected and autonomous vehicles. It will conduct research and development into connected roads, alongside other contributions including a vehicle fleet for experimental purposes; cooperative intersection management systems; high accuracy GPS; 5G and large-scale vehicle to anything communication capabilit
    Read More
  • Abertis offers breath of fresh air
    December 20, 2022
    The idea of congestion charging zones in cities is well-established. But in Valencia, Spain, the authorities are considering something slightly different – and it has clear implications for the road user charging debate. Adam Hill talks to Christian Barrientos of Abertis Mobility Services
    Read More
  • AV technology ‘could reduce congestion’, says Australian minister
    February 26, 2019
    Congestion costs would drop by more than a quarter if automated vehicles (AVs) account for 30% of kilometres travelled, says Alan Tudge, Australia’s minister for cites urban infrastructure and population. Speaking at the Australia-New Zealand Cities Symposium in Sydney, Tudge revealed findings from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. “They estimate it would drop from $37 billion of avoidable congestion to $27 billion,” Tudge says. A 30km freeway journey in Melbourne has increas
    Read More

Highlighted Content