Volvo Cars Ties up with China Unicom for 5G Communication Technology

Volvo Cars is teaming up with leading Chinese telecom provider China Unicom for development and use of 5G next generation mobile network technology for communication between cars and infrastructure in China.

The two companies have agreed to collaborate on researching, developing and testing automotive applications of 5G and emerging vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology.

5G, the fifth generation of mobile network technology, is a lot faster, has a higher data capacity and offers lower response times when compared to its predecessor, 4G. Using 5 G facilitates the development of more applications for vehicles as more data can be transferred to and from cars at a faster rate and with less latency.

Volvo Cars and China Unicom will explore diverse applications of 5G technology in the communication between cars and infrastructure in China. They will also work on identifying scope for improvements in areas like sustainability, customer convenience, safety and autonomous driving.

One example is when information regarding upcoming traffic issues like road works, congestion or accidents can be transmitted to a vehicle’s systems so that pre-emptive action like slowing down or switching to a different route can be taken. This can enhance traffic safety for people inside the car, while avoiding start-and-stop traffic and improving efficient energy use.

Another example is the use of 5G to improve parking by helping vehicles to find parking spots more easily with the help of traffic cameras. Cars may also communicate with traffic lights in order to establish an optimal speed and create a so-called ‘green wave’, and share data with each other to optimize safe exits and entries from and onto highways.

”Volvo has been a leader in realising the potential of connecting our cars to enable new features and services such as detecting and sharing locations of slippery roads between vehicles,” said Henrik Green, chief technology officer at Volvo Cars. “With 5G, the network performance is improving to allow for many more real-time critical services that can help the driver be safer and get a smoother and more enjoyable ride. We look forward to collaborating with China Unicom on developing those services for the Chinese market.”

Mr. Liang Baojun, vice president of China Unicom Group, said that as a pioneer of innovation in the 5G area, China Unicom is committed to the creation of new information infrastructure and solutions in the area of intelligent Internet connection with the best experience to the users. He added that 5G can be used for enabling the development of automatic driving, improving safety and providing road users with a new experience by building a collaborative service system of ’people, vehicles, roadway, network and cloud.

China is currently rolling out 5G across major cities in the nation with the support of telecom providers like China Unicom and others. Like most regions, China is also widely expected to implement its own regional standards for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies.

Through this collaboration with China Unicom, Volvo Cars will be suitably prepared for local requirements and create a strong presence in V2X in its biggest market. Volvo Cars plans to introduce 5G connectivity as part of the next generation of Volvos, based on the next generation SPA2 modular vehicle architecture.