Qualcomm, 3 Automakers Promoting Alternative to DSRC in 5.9 GHz Band
Qualcomm and other companies, including three automakers, are promoting what they say could be an alternative to dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) in the 5.9 GHz band -- new cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology. FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly mentioned the push Monday in a meeting reporters (see 1801220040). Qualcomm demonstrated C-V2X at the recent CES, showing potential uses in a test in San Diego, broadcast in Qualcomm’s CES booth.
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“We’re trying to get our hands around some of that,” O’Rielly said of C-V2X. “They’re doing some testing and I want to see some of the data points.” DSRC seems “kind of stagnant, seems kind of stuck right where it is,” he said. “That’s not good for the consumers. … Depressing and sad.”
BMW Group, Daimler North America, Ford, Nokia, Verizon, Intel, Ericsson and Samsung also are involved in C-V2X, based in a recent filing in docket 13-49. They met with O’Rielly, Commissioner Brendan Carr and aides to the other commissioners. The companies are part of the new 5G Automotive Association.
The bottom line is DSRC is an old technology, said Qualcomm Senior Vice President Dean Brenner in an interview. DSRC was developed in 1999 and uses a variant of 802.11a, the earliest form of Wi-Fi, he said. “It has never progressed.”
With C-V2X, “we’re using cellular technology to allow cars to speak to cars,” Brenner said. “We went to the drawing board and we designed this C-V2X technology and we’ve very excited about it. It’s very much a global phenomenon.” Tests are underway in San Diego and scheduled for Detroit, he said. Other tests are underway in Europe and Japan, he said. Reaction to the San Diego demo is “very positive,” he said. The first chipset is expected to be available for cars next year, he said. FCC rules allow using the band only for DSRC and would have to be changed to allow for C-2VX, Brenner said.
“While complementing other Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) sensors, such as radar, lidar, and camera systems, C-V2X provides non-line-of-sight (NLOS) low latency awareness with longer range and cloud capabilities, and designed to extend a vehicle’s ability to see, hear and communicate further down the road, even at blind intersections,” Qualcomm said, announcing tests in Japan.