DOCOMO, DeNA to Trial 5G for Remote Monitoring of Self-driving Vehicles

NTT DOCOMO, INC. and DeNA Co., Ltd. have jointly announced their agreement to trial a 5G mobile-communications system that is expected to enhance the safety of self-driving vehicles through remote monitoring and passenger assistance.

In the trial, a vehicle and a remote center will be connected via a 5G network that boasts ultra-high-speed data rates beyond 10Gbps, excess capacity, extra-low latency and massive connectivity compared to existing mobile communications systems.

For the initial trial, high-resolution video images captured with high-definition cameras mounted on the vehicle will be transferred in real time via the 5G network, which will allow the center to check for any driving irregularities and provide passengers with assistance as required.

The collaboration, which will combine DOCOMO's 5G wireless technologies and DeNA's expertise in services incorporating self-driving technologies, aims to realize extra-safe driverless services for remote monitoring and assistance.

DOCOMO is leading the research and development of LTE and 5G systems for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. DeNA, a noted mobile and online services provider in Japan that has collaborated with leading companies in multiple industries, is currently developing transportation services that utilize self-driving and advanced infrastructure technologies.

The trial will be demonstrated during DOCOMO R&D Open House 2016, which will take place at the DOCOMO R&D Center in the Yokosuka Research Park near Yokohama on November 17 and 18. DeNA's Robot Shuttle driverless bus will be used to demonstrate the transmission of live video from the bus via a 5G network.