Skip to main content

New German cross-industry project to develop 5G vehicle applications

A new consortium, initiated by Ericsson in Germany, aims to create an infrastructure and real application environment on a motorway test track, to carry out tests in vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, digitisation of the railway infrastructure and other applications using 5G technology. The 30 kilometre test track consists of several construction sections on the 30 kilometre ‘digital test field motorway’ along the A9 motorway and the high speed rail track between Nuremberg and Greding. The in
November 22, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A new consortium, initiated by 5650 Ericsson in Germany, aims to create an infrastructure and real application environment on a motorway test track, to carry out tests in vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, digitisation of the railway infrastructure and other applications using 5G technology.

The 30 kilometre test track consists of several construction sections on the 30 kilometre ‘digital test field motorway’ along the A9 motorway and the high speed rail track between Nuremberg and Greding. The infrastructure is already completed in the first partial sections, meaning that live tests can begin immediately.

The project operates within an independent infrastructure and is not dependent on any commercial network, meaning that 5G prototype applications can be installed and tested regularly, in various network configurations, at any time, without restrictions. The dedicated Ericsson 5G mobile network allows live tests of real time applications, even under extreme network loads, and at very high travel speeds. Test conditions, which are hardly ever found in commercially operated live networks, can be created.

Ericsson has received permission from the German Federal Regulatory Agency to use frequencies from the 700-MHz band and will act as a network operator.

Members of the 5G Connected Mobility consortium include Ericsson, BMW Group, Deutsche Bahn, all three German mobile network operators -Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica Deutschland and Vodafone, the TU Dresden 5G Lab Germany, the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) and the Federal Regulatory Agency (BNetzA). The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and the Bavarian Road Construction Administration support the project.

The project aims to pool the knowledge, perspectives and recommendations gained from this partnership and further develop them with the focus on integration into international 5G standardisation activities.

Within the scope of 5G-ConnectedMobility, the consortium plans to develop use cases of associated vehicle applications, for vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, new methods of traffic information provision in real time and cross-manufacturer traffic control for automated vehicles.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IBT goes roundabout in Bradenton, Florida
    May 10, 2019
    Yet another roundabout is being built in the US. The public remains sceptical but agencies and contractors are on board, writes David Arminas Global construction company IBT, based in Miami, has won a contract to install a traffic circle – or roundabout - on State Road 64 near Bradenton, Florida. The deal is part of a road improvement project with the Florida Department of Transportation (DoT). The 13-month project started in November. Worth only $5 million, it is not a big infrastructure contract. But
  • Nema's updated signage standards are key to managing the variables
    June 7, 2024
    National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s revision of standards relating to variable message signs will help to improve interoperability and reflect changes in vehicle technology
  • Mexico City seeks solutions to improve air quality
    December 6, 2017
    David Crawford ponders prospects for one of the world’s most congested and polluted cities. In 1992, the United Nations named Mexico City as the world’s most polluted urban centre. In the first half of 2016, following the updating of pollution alert limits to meet international standards, Mexico recorded 115 days where ozone concentrations exceeded the acute exposure health limit.
  • Consortium awarded LRT project in Canada
    February 12, 2016
    TransEd Partners, a consortium including global engineering and construction company Bechtel, has been selected by the City of Edmonton to finance, design, supply vehicles, build, operate, and maintain the first phase of the Edmonton Valley Line Light Rail Transit project. The Valley Line is central to the City of Edmonton's transportation plan, designed to meet the demands of Canada's second fastest-growing city that is expected to increase in size by 50 per cent by 2040.