Autonomous vehicle is the future of transportation. But aside from impressive technology and hardware under the hood, Kia Mobility believes 5G internet speed is a must to ensure that outside technology could keep up with the demands of autonomous vehicle as part of IoT (Internet of Things).
5G Speed as Requirement for Autonomous Vehicles
Kia is moving forward with their plans in pushing for autonomous vehicles in the future; however, according to Android Headlines, the success of this type of vehicle is not only based on what it has under the hood but also on internet speed. Kia believes that internet speed today is not enough to ensure vehicles that could drive itself could provide enough safety and ease for the passengers.
Kia targets level 5 autonomous vehicles by 2030. At this level, the vehicle could handle nearly every road condition and better connectivity could allow it to interpret its surroundings better as well as communicate to the necessary servers for the information it needs at the moment.
5G Speed vs. 4G Speed
If 5G internet speed is implemented to its full scale, data transfer speed could theoretically reach 10Gbps. 4G speed, according to 5G UK, could only peak at 100Mbps, which means the upcoming data transfer technology could be 100 times faster than the current speed.
But implementing 5G is not just switching on the technology for everyone to use. Telecom providers are open for implementing faster data transfer for everyone but there are hardware costs for upgrade. Today's telecom towers are equipped to offer data transfer speeds for 4G and they will need to upgrade each tower to ensure wider coverage.
Kia's plan for autonomous vehicle as part of Internet of Things will require faster data transfer. But the company is planning to slowly roll-out autonomous cars in various levels that would adapt to the current environment until 5G is fully implemented.
