Seoul And SK Telecom To Use 5G To Prevent Jaywalking

Seoul and SK Telecom plan to develop "cooperative-intelligent transport systems" that will utilise 5G and car telecommunication to increase safety, they announced.

They will install 5G and sensors at major roads in South Korea's capital. They will also supply 5G Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) handsets to 2,000 buses, taxis, and traffic lights. The handsets will be co-developed by SK Telecom and Samsung Electronics.

The project is worth 25.4 billion won ($22.6 million) and will be completed by 2020.

The installation of the handsets will allow buses and taxis to communicate with traffic lights. A control centre will analyse the data from the communications and send a warning to the vehicles when there is danger.

5G will have a response time of 0.01 second -- ten times faster than previous LTE systems -- allowing drivers to respond quicker to danger.

For example, 5G sensors will detect a jaywalker and alter nearby automobiles. Automobiles will also be alerted when an ambulance is nearby. Cars will be also warned of collisions ahead or potholes created in monsoons.

Earlier this week, SK Telecom announced that, together with POSTECH, it developed antenna control technology that increases call quality at 28GHz spectrum.

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