The Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC), following work with the GSMA, is calling on global mobile network operators (MNOs) to enhance existing network infrastructure capabilities, so they align with the automotive industry's growing connectivity needs.
With the rise of connected vehicles, intelligent driving, high-definition mapping, and other data-intensive mobility services, networks must evolve to support varying traffic volumes and a variety of latency requirements as specified by applications. To guide the industry in overcoming these challenges, the AECC published a Statement of Requirements document, outlining the critical network capabilities necessary for the future of connected mobility.
The AECC worked with GSMA Fusion, part of the global mobile industry association, the GSMA, to develop these requirements. GSMA Fusion, part of the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, works with enterprises and industry groups including those in the automotive sector, to explore the technology challenges vertical sectors have and how connectivity can support them through digital transformation. This follows from the signing of a co-operation agreement between the organizations in October 2024.
"Current mobile networks were not designed to handle the real-time data processing and massive uplink traffic required by connected vehicles. The Statement of Requirements document highlights the need for scalable, interoperable, and programmable 5G services to meet increasing data demands across priority use cases such as intelligent driving, high-definition mapping and teleoperation," said AECC President and Chair Dr. Ryokichi Onishi, a Principal Engineer and General Manager at Toyota Motor Corporation.
AECC advocates for a topology-aware, distributed cloud system with multi-operator capabilities, leveraging decentralized computing to shift resources closer to vehicles and reduce latency, hierarchically distributed clouds to optimize performance across multiple locations, and localized networks to enable faster real-time data processing for seamless vehicle-to-cloud communication.
Henry Calvert, Head of Networks at the GSMA, said: "We welcome the AECC mapping out how the mobile industry can support the automotive sector's digital transformation through enhanced network connectivity. Despite 5G advancements, more can be done to ensure network services are fully aligned with the evolving connectivity requirements of the automotive industry. Many mobile operators have started to introduce programmable functionalities, and network APIs, through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, but global adoption needs to accelerate to meet the automotive industry's needs. We will now work with AECC to further define their priorities, including timescales and locations for deployment of their key use-cases. We invite additional players in the automotive market to work with GSMA Fusion to outline their future connectivity requirements."
The Statement of Requirements document includes an overview of the AECC's strategic blueprint that will be released after MWC 2025. The strategic blueprint is a comprehensive framework designed to address the challenges and opportunities within the rapidly evolving connected vehicle ecosystem. By adopting the AECC blueprint, industry stakeholders can streamline the development and deployment of connected vehicle technologies, ensuring enhanced user experiences while overcoming technological and operational hurdles.
