Korean consumer electronics giant LG Electronics is teaming up with USA-based semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company Qualcomm to jointly develop a range of next-generation connected car systems based on 5G technology.
Based out of LG Electronics’s Science Park in Seoul, the two companies will also establish a joint research center in South Korea to develop 5G for vehicle and C-V2X (cellular vehicle-to-everything) technologies, which are considered to be essential to the success of next-generation autonomous vehicles.
As respective leaders in mobile innovation, LG and Qualcomm bring decades of R&D experience to the partnership, including knowledge of 5G mobile technology, which is vital to the deployment of a fully connected car platform. With connection speeds of up to five times faster, with 10 times lower latency than the fastest LTE technology, 5G will be able to deliver data at the speeds necessary in a real-life driving situations.
C-V2X, which is included in 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) Release 14, delivers double the operation time at a lower cost than DSRC (dedicated short-range communications) over existing mobile communication networks. In parts of Europe and Asia, field tests and standardization activities are already being conducted with roll-out by 2020 in mind. A pioneer in V2X innovations, LG Electronics has been an industry leader in the fast-growing telematics market since 2013. Qualcomm is in the process of acquiring the Netherlands-based semiconductor manufacturer NXP, one of the global leaders in the supply of connected and autonomous vehicle chipsets and technology.
“We plan to lead the next-generation vehicle components market by combining our experience in automotive communication technologies with Qualcomm’s advanced connected solutions from LTE to 5G,” said Kim Jin-yong, executive vice president of LG’s vehicle components smart business unit. “We are optimistic that the combined research strength of Qualcomm and LG will yield benefits that would not be feasible working independently.”
Nakul Duggal, vice president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, commented, “Building on our long-standing relationship with LG, this effort to advance C-V2X technology further demonstrates our continued commitment to the development of advanced solutions for safe, connected and increasingly autonomous vehicles. With the automotive industry on a clear path to 5G, we look forward to working together with LG to meet the demands of today’s drivers, and advance the commercialization of C-V2X technology in next-gen vehicles.”
