LG and Qualcomm to Jointly Research and Develop Next-Gen Connectivity Solutions for Cars

SEOUL: LG Electronics (LG) announced that it is teaming up with Qualcomm to jointly develop a range of next-generation connected car solutions. The two companies will also establish a joint research center in South Korea to develop 5G for vehicle and C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything) technologies essential to the success of next-generation autonomous vehicles.  

As respective leaders in mobile innovation, LG and Qualcomm are bringing decades of R&D experience to the partnership, including knowledge of 5G mobile technology. 5G is vital to the deployment of a fully connected car platform. With connection speeds of up to 5 times faster with 10 times lower latency than the fastest LTE technology, 5G will be able to deliver data at the speeds necessary in a real life driving situation.  

C-V2X, which is included in 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) Release 14,  delivers double the operation time at a lower cost than DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) over existing mobile communication networks. In parts of Europe and Asia, field tests and standardization activities are already being conducted with rollout by 2020 in mind. A pioneer in V2X innovations, LG Electronics has been the industry leader in the fast-growing telematics market since 2013. 

“LG plans to lead the next-generation vehicle components market by combining our experience in automotive communication technologies with Qualcomm’s advanced connected solutions from LTE to 5G,” said Kim Jin-yong, executive vice president of LG’s Vehicle Components Smart Business Unit. “We are optimistic that the combined research strength of Qualcomm and LG will yield benefits that would not be feasible working independently.” 

“Building on our long-standing relationship with LG, this effort to advance C-V2X technology further demonstrates our continued commitment to the development of advanced solutions for safe, connected and increasingly autonomous vehicles,” said Nakul Duggal, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “With the automotive industry on a clear path to 5G, we look forward to working together with LG to meet the demands of today’s drivers and advance the commercialization of C-V2X technology in next-gen vehicles.” 

The collaboration will be based out of LG Electronics’ Science Park in Seoul. The two companies will begin working together effective immediately.