Automotive, telecom, ITS companies unveil mobile C-V2X trials in Japan

Continental, Ericsson, Nissan, NTT Docomo, OKI and Qualcomm Technologies have announced plans to carry out their first Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) trials in Japan. The trial's objective is to validate and demonstrate the benefits of C-V2X using direct communication technology defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in their Release 14 specifications. The trial is expected to begin in 2018.

The trial's use cases are designed to focus on Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) direct communications, as well as Vehicle-to-Network (V2N) operations over mobile network-based wide area communications with cloud access.

For the field trials, Continental will use the Qualcomm C-V2X Reference Design, which features the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset with integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) capability to build connected car systems and integrate the systems into Nissan vehicles. Nissan will perform V2X use case selection and develop test scenarios with key performance indicators for C-V2X technology validation. OKI will bring their expertise in roadside unit infrastructure and applications to demonstrate V2I as a viable technology for advanced traffic applications by integrating the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset into their RSU. Ericsson will join to the V2N use case discussion, considering a combination of direct communication and LTE-A network technologies. NTT Docomo will provide an LTE-A network and V2N applications to demonstrate the benefits of complementary use of network-based communications for a variety of advanced automotive informational safety use cases.