SoftBank Taps Nokia to Support 5G Connected Car Test

Nokia is providing end-to-end 5G portfolio to SoftBank Corp. to become first in the world to have successfully completed tests demonstrating that non-standalone 5G technology can be used to commercially operate connected cars.

Using state-of the-art equipment from Nokia’s end-to-end 5G portfolio, Japanese operator SoftBank Corp. installed non-standalone 5G networks suited to connected vehicle testing at a Honda Research and Development site in Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido, Japan.

The test has succeeded in conducting a breakthrough, world-first trial that is the first step in deploying Nokia’s 3GPP Release 15 compliant using commercial-level 256QAM high-order modulation and 4x4 MIMO radio equipment network equipment.

As part of the trials, SoftBank Corp. tested four use cases, including the transmission of location information of surrounding vehicles at intersections with poor visibility, the identification and notification processes for falling objects on the road as well as and the transmission and secondary use of high-quality 4K video and images taken from the in-vehicle cameras.

Nokia believes 5G will be capable of delivering the speed and capacity required to ensure vehicles can communicate and interact safely and efficiently on road networks. Deploying high-bandwidth and low-latency 5G networks is essential for delivering the benefits of the next generation of road vehicles, whether they are connected or fully autonomous.

Nokia’s ambition is to ensure that 5G technology can be fully utilised in the future connected car market, which is projected to reach over $225bn in value by 2025.

John Harrington, Head of Nokia Japan, said: “These trials demonstrate that 5G technology can be successfully, safely and efficiently utilized in the connected car market. We look forward to further develop research in this exciting space and bring 5G-connected mobility solutions to the roads.”