A 5G-enabled autonomous minibus will operate along a short route on the island of Djurgården, Sweden
As part of a pilot project, 5G Ride, a 5G-enabled autonomous minibus, will now operate along a short route on the island of Djurgården, Sweden for approximately the next two weeks on a network powered by commercial Ericsson Radio System products and solutions. Telia, with support from Ericsson, has deployed 5G sites along the trial route.
The 5G sites provide high-speed data transfer, low latency and reliability along the route, enabling the connected minibus to respond in real time to commands from the control tower, which is equipped with an Ericsson is technical solution.
“This is a great example of how 5G can benefit society. Self-driving technology combined with electrification and 5G can help transform public transport, making it more efficient to operate and more accessible to the people who need it, while reducing the environmental footprint. Key components in building smarter cities,” commented Anders Olsson, CEO of Telia Sweden.
These initial tests are expected to be followed by further trials in 2021, with the companies aiming to “pave the way towards making 5G-enabled electric driverless public transport services a reality,” according to Ericsson’s website.
Jenny Lindqvist, head of Ericsson’s customer unit for Northern and Central Europe, expressed excitement about being part of the “exciting journey, quite literally” adding, “From the passengers’ experience to road safety and environmental impact, the potential 5G offers to society is ever-growing. Ericsson’s control tower solution, with the efficiency and reliability of 5G, manages self-driving buses in a smart way, transforming transport as we know it. In partnership with Telia, we are enabling 5G as the fundamental platform for innovation, making sustainable transport a reality in Stockholm.”
5G Ride is part of an initiative led by Urban ICT Arena, Keolis, Telia, Ericsson and Intel and backed by Vinnova and Drive Sweden.
Earlier this year, Telia worked with Ericsson to launch 5G in central Stockholm on the 700 Mhz band and in Norway, with initial deployments in Lillestrøm and parts of Groruddalen in the greater Oslo region.
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