Future-proofing our networks with Toyota and AECC
We’re collaborating with Toyota and the AECC to define the future network of connected vehicles.
Connected vehicles are already appearing on our roads at an increasing rate, with over 125 million connected vehicles in use today. By 2025, it is predicted that almost all new cars (over 500 million in total) will enter the road with some form of connectivity – it will not just be demanded by consumers, it will be expected by default. But this change doesn’t just affect the automotive industry, it also offers a significant challenge to network operators, who must provide a stringent infrastructure robust enough to handle the strain that all these new connections will bring to the network.
Follow our video demonstration, Charting the Network Evolution for Automotive (25 min)
Kenichi Murata, Project General Manager – Connected Strategy, Toyota Motor Corporation, discussing the challenging new requirements that the auto industry has of telecommunications service providers.
Christer Boberg, Director of Cloud & IoT Technology Strategies at Ericsson, on how the collaboration is helping to build infrastructure to meet these requirements.
AECC
The Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC) brings together players from many different industries, including Toyota, Ericsson, telecommunications operators, IT and Cloud industries, and tier 1 suppliers. The group was formed at Mobile World Congress Barcelona in 2017, with the aim of defining the future network for connected cars globally.
The network requirements have been identified by the auto industry member companies of AECC including Toyota, who are specialized in what future consumers will expect and require of their car’s connectivity. Based on these requirements, the AECC’s primary focus has been establishing how the network can facilitate the transfer of such a large amount of data seamlessly, between fast moving mobile devices, all on a global scale.
The power of 5G
Connected vehicles, and especially driverless vehicles, require huge network capacity, low latency, and ultra-reliability to become a mainstream reality, and 5G makes this possible for the first time.
The 5G networks already rolling out around the world are offering opportunities and necessary infrastructure which were impossibilities in previous network generations. With these in place connected vehicles have moved from a pipedream to a tangible goal.
Ericsson Technology Review article about Transforming transportation with 5G
Pushing network capacity to the edge
Edge computing provides another solution to the challenge of high data rates and low latency requirements. The AECC has been investigating how to place applications close to the edge in order to provide fast transactions and smart filtering of data, while avoiding negative effects on serviceability.
Edge computing is particularly relevant for the auto industry, due to the need to uplink large volumes of data for cloud processing. This strategy will allow the right data to be collected and used to improve city road networks, increase fuel efficiency and much more.
A history of collaboration
Ericsson has a long history of working with partners who are leaders in their industries to define the network requirements of tomorrow, and the collaboration with Toyota is no different. Together we are laying the groundwork for a global connected vehicle infrastructure and helping network operators to future proof their own services.
