Audi and Verizon partnering to produce 5G enabled automobiles

The agreement is expected to deliver ultra-fast, low-latency alerts and messages along with information and entertainment.

Audi and Verizon have announced a partnership to help build the next generation of automobiles that will possess 5G capabilities beginning in 2024. These select U.S. Audi model year 2024 vehicles will be embedded with 5G, which are expected to power highly personalized mobile services, new driver-assistance features and connected innovations that will move automobiles towards a driverless future.

The new partnership is expected to produce embedded 5G Ultra Wideband connectivity into Audi vehicles, granting drivers with new assistance features as well as other connectivity-enabled innovations. The 5G Ultra Wideband network is anticipated to “enable advanced driving features, connected services, and blazing-fast in-car Wi-Fi and infotainment,” according to a press release.

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As pandemic-related concerns are addressed by way of hybrid and in-office setups, it has become imperative that employees remain connected at all times no matter where they are working from. Since more workers are spending time in their vehicles rather than flying for business, connecting via these Ultra Wideband networks will allow employees to connect to everyone virtually via the car’s built-in 5G platform. Workers might be able to engage with their colleagues by doing anything from sending updates through Slack to taking a Zoom call without having to physically pull over to participate in a virtual meeting.

These vehicles will be able to receive both firmware and software enhancements over the air to ensure that the embedded technology remains current, and also will boast HD and 3D mapping capabilities along with video and cloud-based user profiles. In addition, drivers and passengers will be able to integrate their mobile devices with cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology, allowing vehicles to respond to their counterparts via low-latency alerts and messages.

“Audi was the first automaker to bring in-vehicle Wi-Fi to customers as well as 4G LTE connectivity in the 2015 A3, and we will be among the first to bring the next generation of connectivity to our customers in the U.S.,” said Filip Brabec, senior VP of Product Planning at Audi of America. “We value our partnership with Verizon and their eagerness to push the boundaries of what’s possible as cars continue to become even more connected.”

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The C-V2X technology is designed to connect vehicles to one another (V2V), in addition to vehicle-to-roadside infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, allowing for enhanced safety capabilities using the 5G network. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband will offer more than 100 million people in more than 1,700 different cities across the country access to speeds up to 10 times faster than 4G, according to the company.

“Audi drivers will be among the first in the world to experience a new generation of automobiles, one in which their car is both a 5G mobile device and a vehicle,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “We’re proud to bring our transformative 5G networking expertise to a visionary partner like Audi, whose premium automotive engineering deserves second-to-none 5G technology to match.”

In conjunction with this agreement, Verizon says that it is both partnering with all three major cloud providers for its mobile edge computing services, to help introduce new safety and autonomous driving technologies. This move by Verizon is part of its deployment of new C-band spectrum technology as it attempts to grow the reach of 5G Ultra Wideband mobility as the mobile company continues its work with automotive original equipment manufacturers and research facilities.