V2I technology trialled by Telstra and Cohda Wireless

Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology has been successfully trialled over Telstra’s 4G network in South Australia.

The trial, carried out by Telstra and Cohda Wireless, is a pivotal first step in developing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology.

The use and development of V2X communications will enable the creation of intelligent transport systems that may allow more efficient use of road infrastructure, better traffic management and safe autonomous vehicle operation into the future. This type of technology makes it possible for vehicles to communicate with infrastructure such as traffic lights, other vehicles and vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

In addition, the technology minimises the impact of human error and creates a safer environment for all road users.

“The trial we just completed in South Australia confirms that 4G can support V2I applications,” said Andrew Scott, director of technology at Telstra.

“These applications included alerting a driver to roadworks ahead, giving green light priority to high-priority vehicles and testing optimal green light timing where the vehicle is informed of the optimal speed to approach a traffic light so that that they get a green light when they arrive, therefore allowing a more continuous flow of traffic.”

Telstra believes its 4G and future 5G networks can play a vital role in supporting the faster rollout of intelligent transport systems and V2X applications, making implementation of the technology cheaper and more efficient. Additional trial phases have been established for testing vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-vulnerable (bicycles and pedestrians) technology.

“While there has been a lot of focus around future transport technology, there has not been much work done to date in Australia on supporting intelligent transport systems via existing 4G mobile networks,” Scott said.

The South Australian Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Stephen Mullighan, said the government is positioning South Australia to lead the implementation of driverless and autonomous technologies.  

“Last year we hosted the first on-road trials of autonomous vehicles in the Southern Hemisphere and this year we became the first Australian jurisdiction to legislate to allow further on-road trials,” said Mullighan.

“Our government is striving to create an environment which nurtures companies developing autonomous technologies, including Telstra and Cohda Wireless, and this exciting initiative demonstrates the progress South Australia is making to take a share of this projected $90 billion industry.”

Telstra, Cohda Wireless and the South Australia Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure are all partners of the Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI). This is a partnership of government, industry and academic partners collaborating on research to help inform the development of national policy, legislation, regulation and operational procedures and processes.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Aleksei Demitsev