[Courtesy of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority]
SEOUL -- LGU+, a South Korean mobile carrier, will establish a cellular vehicle-to-everything network in a simulated city built for autonomous vehicle testing to develop various self-driving technologies and conduct their technical verification based on its 5G mobile communication network.
K-City was built in Hwaseong south of Seoul to simulate a city with a highway, parking lots, local communities, living areas and complicated urban road conditions. The city is used as a testbed for the development of autonomous vehicle technologies.
LGU+ said in a statement on Thursday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (KTSA), a state body which runs K-City, to cooperate for the establishment of 5G mobile communication infrastructure, connect control towers and co-develop autonomous vehicle technologies.
"Starting with the self-driving test of a 5G remote control project currently under joint development with LG Electronics, LGU+ plans to carry out various technology verification in K-City," LGU+'s business division vice president Choi Joo-sik was quoted as saying.
The 5G infrastructure will support C-V2X (cellular vehicle-to-everything) and DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) which will connect test vehicles with other road structures such as traffic lights, nearby buildings and other traffic. LGU+ said it would also test other related technologies such as mobile edge computing, which greatly reduces data latency between cars and other objects, and remote driving.
V2X is a vital technology in autonomous driving. It is used in communication with other vehicles and road structures while navigating. While an ordinary V2X establishes a short-range network around a vehicle, C-V2X has a wider range using cellular networks which support the car's cloud-based services such as navigation infotainment.
Other than LGU+, KT and SK Telecom are also testing their own technologies in K-City. SK Telecom has unveiled a high-definition map solution in May to help autonomous vehicles navigate safely. A month later, KT promised to develop 5G-based V2X terminals for K-City.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
