Delicensing spectrum for V2V communications to boost safety, OBU deployments: BIF
The Centre’s decision to delicense a portion of the 5.9GHz band for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications is expected to accelerate the deployment of road safety-enhancing applications and integration of supported onboard units (OBUs) in automobiles in the country, according to the Broadband India Forum (BIF).
BIF’s statement comes days after the government of India’s decision to delicense 30MHz of spectrum in the globally harmonised 5.9GHz band for V2V communications.
This comes at a time when India continues to face one of the world’s most serious road safety challenges. According to official estimates, the country records over 4.6 lakh road accidents and nearly 1.7 lakh fatalities annually.
The financial burden of road accidents has been estimated at 3.14% of the nation’s GDP, the Delhi-based association said, adding that reducing accidents through technology-enabled prevention mechanisms can generate substantial economic as well as societal benefits.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle communications, based on globally harmonised 3GPP standards, enable real-time exchange of safety-critical information between vehicles, including speed, direction, location, braking status, collision risks and hazardous road conditions.
Such direct communication between vehicles through V2V systems facilitates drivers and automated safety systems to detect dangers well beyond the driver’s line of sight. This helps provide crucial additional reaction time that can help prevent accidents and save lives.
Separately, the Centre also scrapped a license requirement for radar sensors, enabling vehicles to drive themselves and avoid road hazards. This is expected to benefit automakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra, as well their suppliers, such as Germany’s Bosch and Continental.
“Delicensing this band for V2V will accelerate adoption of advanced safety technologies by automobile manufacturers, strengthen India’s connected mobility ecosystem, reduce the enormous socio-economic burden of road accidents and support the development of intelligent transportation systems that are essential for the future of mobility,” said TV Ramachandran, president, BIF.
