NGMN calls on EC to rethink connected car technology

An organisation representing telecoms network operators has warned European lawmakers that their vision for the development of cooperative ITS (C-ITS) risks being too narrow. In a letter to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, the board of the NGMN Alliance highlights a key piece of EC legislation which will determine the technologies used for connected vehicles – and urges the inclusion of cellular-V2X (C-V2X) on the list. “Despite the EC’s stated commitment to technology neutrality, we
December 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
An organisation representing telecoms network operators has warned European lawmakers that their vision for the development of cooperative ITS (C-ITS) risks being too narrow.


In a letter to 1690 European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, the board of the NGMN Alliance highlights a key piece of EC legislation which will determine the technologies used for connected vehicles – and urges the inclusion of cellular-V2X (C-V2X) on the list.

“Despite the EC’s stated commitment to technology neutrality, we are very concerned about the progressing Delegated Act,” the NGMN letter says.

“At the current time, it rules out the most recent technology, C-V2X, favouring a specific and single-purpose Wi-Fi based technology path, ITS-G5, which has no relationship to 5G technology and no evolutionary path towards compatibility with future 5G based C-ITS systems generations.”

This will preclude “the evolution to 5G for connected cars”, it warns. “Limiting C-ITS deployment to ITS-G5 would imperil the European Union automotive industry’s ability to compete in today’s global and evolving technological marketplace. This places Europe at a technical and economic disadvantage compared with other regions of the world including China and the US, where C-V2X is emerging as a strong technology candidate for C-ITS.”

The NGMN board says that Delegated Act adoption “should not be rushed” and adds that C-V2X is not only able to enhance safety features for vehicles, but also supports use cases for vulnerable road users such as cyclists.

“NGMN has investigated and concluded that C-V2X technology is superior to 6781 IEEE 802.11p standards, technically, economically, and eco-system wise, and can well satisfy the basic safety applications,” the letter goes on.

The board believes its favoured technology has a better communication range, latency and scalability and “has a natural evolution path to future advanced applications by updating current networks to 5G”.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • European Parliament calls for EU regulation for access car data
    February 21, 2018
    MEPs in the European Transport Committee have voted in favour of the European Commission to come forward with a regulatory process on access to connected car data by the end of 2018. The request for binding rules and regulations aims to ensure a secure and competitive approach that places independent service providers on an even level with car makers. The decision was made as part of the draft report on a European Strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems access to vehicle data. It will go t
    Read More
  • New vehicle technologies ‘could help reduce fatalities on European motorways’
    March 5, 2015
    New safety technologies could play a major role in reducing the numbers killed on European motorways, according to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), in a new report published today. The new analysis of developments in motorway safety shows that, despite recent progress, around 1,900 were killed on motorways in the EU in 2013. The report cites figures from several countries showing that up to 60 per cent of those killed in motorway collisions were not wearing a seatbelt. It calls on the EU to req
    Read More
  • Autotalks launches second generation V2X
    October 10, 2016
    Autotalks is using the ITS World Congress Melbourne to launch Craton2, which the company claims is the most advanced worldwide-compliant V2X solution available today. Designed to meet the rigorous requirements for sensor-fusion and autonomous vehicles, Craton2 claims to offer best in-class future-proof V2X cybersecurity protection. Its high level of integration is said to make it the most cost-optimised V2X solution. The cybersecurity solution offers multiple protection layers and its cryptographicagile s
    Read More
  • Marben showcases V2X software for autonomous vehicles
    October 7, 2015
    Marben returns for its fourth participation at the ITS World Congress with an innovative demonstration of its full featured Marben V2X software solution for autonomous vehicles. In partnership with Navya, an innovative self-driving and electric vehicle supplier, and Autotalks, a leading supplier of automotive-grade V2X RF transceivers and communication processors, Marben will showcase how the communication of vehicles and traffic lights can significantly improve and secure driverless vehicles that operate o
    Read More

Highlighted Content