The 5GMETA project is working to help transport and mobility stakeholders (Original Equipment Manufacturers, Network Application developers, etc.), road transport authorities and operators, and ITS service developers identify their position and potential in the automotive changing ecosystem. The overall goal of the 5GMETA project is to facilitate the rapid development of new CCAM services and applications by creating an open Platform. Moreover, developing new integration systems between different stakeholders offers the opportunity of developing the overall digital infrastructure in EU countries.
One of the main objectives of the 5GMETA project is to develop new monetisation and business models for OEMs (but not only) while allowing them to get more familiar with and leverage the opportunities and benefits that revolve around 5G technology in the automotive system. 5G technology supports the last generation of mobile networks and is expected to bring a paradigm shift in ITS services and applications. Their design and development is going through an epochal change as 5G technology and data collection and deployment are likely to become a new essential source of revenues and an added value for the automotive environment.
Supporting digital mobility
The automotive sector is experiencing rapid growth due to the integration of ’far-edge‘ vehicles into the Management and Orchestration framework, which enables automotive application developers to take full advantage of the capabilities offered by such data sources. Since vehicle data and resources are becoming increasingly more accessible to third parties, many new challenges emerge. This is why it is fundamental for stakeholders to focus on: i) data management, ii) data privacy/protection, iii) data ownership, iv) data monetization.
The benefits of working on these focal points are multiple and have a “spillover” effect on other sectors. For example, Italy has recently launched a 5G edge cloud platform to support the development of new smart mobility applications, including self-driving and assisted cars. The solution targets a range of verticals, from public administration to start-ups and has the side effect of accelerating Italy’s digital transformation.
5G and edge capabilities to test new and advanced solutions for self-driving and assisted cars, particularly those that support highly secure and reliable communication between vehicles and the city infrastructure, will enhance the European digital mobility system. Initiatives such as the one provided by Modena Automotive Smart Area (MASA) – which is involved in one of 5GMETA use cases’ applications – is significantly important as it permit to combine several different services and players (both public and private), aiming to improve the exchange of information between public authorities and researchers while exploiting real time data.
Regulation and legislative steps ahead
Regulation of mobility data has to go side by side with technological development. The EU institutions recently approved a new law to promote the availability of data and build a trustworthy environment to facilitate their use for research and the creation of innovative new services and products. In particular, the Data Governance Act (DGA) sets up robust mechanisms to facilitate the reuse of specific categories of protected public-sector data, increase trust in data intermediation services and foster data altruism across the EU. The initiative aims to make more data available and facilitate data sharing across sectors and EU countries in order to leverage the potential of data for the benefit of European citizens and businesses.
The Act will bring about more than 27 million hours of public transport users’ time saving and up to €20 billion a year in labour costs of car drivers thanks to real-time navigation and exploitation of mobility data. The Data Governance entered into force on 23 June 2022 and will be applicable from September 2023.
Aligning legislation and regulation with the actual development of ITS services and application is fundamental to maximise the effect of projects that work on 5G technologies.
The 5GMETA project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 957360 (Innovation Action).
