Self-driving cars in Oz to use microwave band

The peak body representing car companies in Australia and the government department that allocates radio frequencies for different applications are agreed – autonomous cars and the supporting intelligent infrastructure should communicate on 5.9GHz.

Tony Weber, the Chief Executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), has expressed support for a proposal by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to allocate 5.9GHz to a connected vehicle network throughout Australia. This connected network, to be called Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), is aimed at improving traffic flow, reducing road trauma and lowering energy usage.

"To make C-ITS operable, we needed a way in which all the players can share a common digital language – and this provides it," Weber was quoted saying in a press release.

"ACMA's proposed regulatory arrangements support the introduction of C-ITS in the 5.9 Gigahertz band.

"This confirms that the Australian C-ITS standards will be the same as that used in EU. Any vehicles operating on other frequency bands, such as those built specifically for use in the Japanese domestic market, will not be able to communicate with ours.

"And what is equally as important, any vehicles imported that operate on different standards, will illegally interfere with a range of other services here such as toll roads and mobile phones.

"This consultation paper places a digital marker from which our C-ITS will mirror those being planned and implemented by Europe."

The frequency has been proposed in ACMA's consultation paper, to which the FCAI and Austroads also contributed. It's another step along the path to autonomous motoring in future, with 90 per cent of Australian roads already mapped for the C-ITS infrastructure. The proposed frequency is in the microwave band from 1GHz up. It's limited to line-of-sight applications (over short distances in built-up areas), which makes it ideal for V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communications supporting C-ITS.

While the work done to date on geo-mapping and communications are positive signs reflecting the progress made taking Australia into an autonomous driving future, the hard part is yet to come – actually building cars that are effectively foolproof, separating at-risk road users (drunks and kids) from motor vehicles, and finding state and federal governments with the budget and the will to dig up old infrastructure and replace it with new, intelligent fixtures.

And that's what leads Weber to his conclusion.

"Properly funded, well-engineered and collaboratively supported, a world-class C-ITS in Australia will save hundreds of lives on our roads every year, optimise our investment in infrastructure, reduce vehicle greenhouse gas emissions, shrink our commuting times and in doing so, relieve a huge amount of pressure from our emergency services and our hospital system."

Take note, that's the gambit in a new round of lobbying that may last years or even decades...