Audi has joined forces with Verizon to make an in-car 5G connection available in time for the 2024 model year. The technology is expected to unlock additional mobile services (including personalized content) and new driver-assistance features, among other functions.
Compatible cars will gain the ability to connect to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, which the provider calls its highest-performing 5G connection. Bringing quicker internet speeds into the car will make it easier for passengers to download or stream content on-the-go, allow cars to receive quicker over-the-air updates, and bring HD- and 3D-mapping functions plus cloud-based user profiles to the infotainment and navigation systems, according to Audi. In short, 5G promises to make the features that many motorists already use a lot more convenient.
On a secondary but equally important level, 5G will make it easier for cars to talk to each other and to the infrastructure. Verizon and Audi are busily developing cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology so that cars can receive messages and respond if needed. Some of the firm’s models are already available with a feature called Traffic Light Information that tells the driver when a light will turn green; C-V2X will build on these foundations, though precisely what cars equipped with the technology will send and receive hasn’t been revealed yet.
More details about Audi’s plans to roll out 5G — including the list of models that will be eligible to receive the technology and how much it will cost — should be announced in the coming months. Several other carmakers, including Honda, are also working on in-car 5G connections.
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Source: www.autoblog.com