5G Americas White Paper: Cellular V2X Communications Towards 5G
March 2018
A number of other standards support V2X communication networks, such as Network Function
Virtualization (NFV) and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), both developed by ETSI and being adopted
by 3GPP.
As its name implies, MEC brings the service closer to the network edge: therefore, close to the devices’
point of attachment, and precisely why it becomes relevant for V2X. This technology is characterized by
proximity to the wireless device, ultra-low latency and high-bandwidth support, location awareness and real-
time access to network and context information.
MEC standardization is being done at the ETSI MEC Industry Specification Group (ISG), with the objective
of creating an open environment that can support cloud platforms at the edge, possibly spanning multiple
vendors. These platforms are then accessible to service providers and third parties, including car
manufacturers and application providers. MEC addresses the requirements related to latency and high
throughput between the client and the server application. MEC technology is being leveraged by 5G, and
it is very beneficial to multiple V2X use cases. For example, real-time situational awareness and high -
definition (local) maps can take advantage of MEC due to the real-time and local nature of the information
needed for accurate and augmented situational awareness of the road users.
Application Layer Standard Evolution
Over the years, and with significant transportation stakeholder input, the SAE DSRC Technical Committee
in the U.S. and the ETSI ITS Technical Committee in Europe have developed a set of applications and
specific V2X messages. It is important to note that these standards assume the access layer to be
DSRC/ITS-G5. It is natural to expect these standards can be adapted, if needed, to run atop cellular V2X,
including both LTE and 5G access layers. To this end, the SAE Cellular-V2X Technical Committee is
working on a new application layer standard SAE J3161
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.
It is also reasonable to expect this cycle of adaptation and adoption to expand the scope of envisioned
connected vehicle services. Cellular V2X is not limited to short range, ad-hoc message broadcast and
reception, but instead includes a wide variety of high-bandwidth applications. Therefore, the types of
messages and services enabled will likely transcend even those combinations available in SAE and ETSI.
In fact, the 5G convergent network and the very existence of V2N in combination with V2I and V2V enable
additional participants, concepts and spectrum, to include potential use of existing cellular systems (V2N)
in tandem with LTE V2X direct messages (V2V, V2I) or short-range uplink and downlink (V2I).
The automotive industry has adopted a common framework for automated driving that was developed by
the SAE. Table 3 summarizes SAE International Standard J3016’s
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six levels of driving automation, and
the gradual handoff of execution, monitoring and fallback performance from a human driver to an automated
driving system. There is no direct mapping of these levels of automation to key performance indicators for
the radio/ transport layers of the communication link. Some of these levels of automation may be achievable
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Society of Automotive Engineers, “J3161: On-Board System Requirements for LTE V2X V2V Safety Communications.”
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Society of Automotive Engineers, “J3016: Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to On-Road Motor Vehicle Driving
Systems”; 2014.