Vodafone Germany has lit up a 5G standalone network helping Porsche design the next generation of cars at its Development Centre in Weissach, Germany, near Stuttgart in southern Germany.
Porsche uses the secretive facility to design concept cars from sketches or images on tablet computers and will tap into the new technology to provide secure and instantaneous transmission of data between the cars, technicians and designing equipment.
Vodafone Germany CEO Hannes Ametsreiter said, “5G is revolutionising the development of vehicles – from the first prototype to the finished series model. In future, Porsche engineers will be able to work on digital vehicle models and prepare them for use on the road. Starting in Weissach, 5G is moving directly into the cars on our roads.”
With the 5G network, Porsche will be able to improve the strategic development of new vehicle systems and functions, allowing 5G to be integrated into its cars in the future, according to Michael Steiner, member of the Porsche AG Executive Board for Research and Development.
The 5G network uses the 3.5 GHz band and, since it operates standalone mode, it will be faster than other networks in Europe where the core uses existing LTE infrastructure.
“Real-time mobile communications will now be available with immediate effect within the Porsche Site Weissach,” said Steiner. “Therefore, the technology will improve the framework conditions for the strategic development of new vehicle systems and functions.”
In addition, the 5G standalone network will enable network slicing technology, which can be used for small sub-networks with guaranteed bandwidth and latency times for certain events and projects at the Development Centre.
5G and multi-access edge computing will provide real-time data communications needed for preemptive warning and assistance systems and the exchange of safety-relevant data between vehicles needed by autonomous vehicles. For example, alerting a car’s occupants to hazards on the route ahead. Additionally, 5G data transmissions will enable high-definition content streaming as well as delay-free cloud gaming and augmented reality transmissions in the vehicle.
5G relationships have also been struck between General Motors and AT&T and between Honda and Verizon. Buckle your seatbelts. There will be more.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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