It’s no secret that the global transportation industry is in the midst of some major changes. Automakers like GM, Tesla and others continue to push the bounds of autonomous driving technology, while ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are working to change the game with offerings that could make car ownership largely unnecessary for most travelers.
Within this mix sits the idea of V2X, or vehicle-to-everything. V2X communications stretch across connections between vehicles and any other object or entity, be it infrastructure, devices, grids or other vehicles. Such technology not only promises to reduce auto accidents; it could eventually pave the way toward transportation systems sporting few if any flesh-and-blood drivers.
LEARN: V2X is about to change driving. Find out how at the FierceTelecom Learning Center
Not surprisingly, though, there are plenty of obstacles in the way. Perhaps the most noteworthy is the ongoing debate between DSRC and LTE M. The DSRC standard, which uses the 802.11p protocol, has long been bandied as the basis for any V2X services, and has years of research in the auto industry backing it up.
However, a wide range of players in the wireless industry is pushing for an extension of Wi-Fi into the 5.8 GHz band and LTE for V2V communications. The result is a potential standards battle between DSRC and LTE M proponents for the future of V2X.
These are exactly the kinds of issues that I’ll be delving into during my event at the upcoming Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain. On Wednesday, March 1, I’ll be moderating an event called “V2X: Wireless and the Future of Transportation” at the Fira Congress Hotel (which is immediately across the street from the main MWC convention center). The event will start at 12:30 p.m. with a full lunch, and will end at 2 p.m. following an hour-long panel discussion between myself and five experts in the field of V2X and transportation:
- Cameron Coursey, VP of product development, IoT at AT&T
- Durga Malladi, senior vice president of engineering at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
- Dino Flore, director general of the 5G Automotive Association
- Mansoor Hanif, director of converged networks, research and innovation at BT
- Osvaldo Gonsa, head of the Wireless Signal Technologies group at Continental AG
We’ll discuss the brewing V2X standards battle and the transportation industry of the future—no PowerPoint presentations! And perhaps most importantly: We’ll be taking plenty of questions from the audience.
I invite you to join me. Register now for this event by clicking here.
P.S. This event is one of a three-part series of events covering 5G and the IoT. Click here to check out our other executive luncheons at this year’s Mobile World Congress. I look forward to seeing you in Barcelona. – Mike | @mikeddano