For the automotive industry, if 4G communication technology enables the connection of in-vehicle intelligent devices, then 5G will become the core technology of the Internet of Things (IoT) connecting various objects, including automobiles.

This article is from China Automotive News. On June 6, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued 5G commercial licenses to China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Broadcasting. Industry insiders have said that the issuance of 5G licenses in early June will accelerate the domestic 5G construction, and the commercialization time of 5G is expected to be advanced again. This is due to the maturity of domestic technology and the acceleration of the international competitive landscape.

　　Research data released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology shows that 5G was officially put into commercial use in 2020. It is expected that it will generate about 484 billion yuan in direct output in that year, and will increase to 3.3 trillion yuan and 6.3 trillion yuan in 2025 and 2030 respectively, with a compound annual growth rate of 29% over the decade. The rapid commercialization of 5G will also have a huge impact on the entire automotive parts industry.

　　5G commercialization accelerates the pace of industrialization of vehicle networking and autonomous driving

　　5G, the fifth generation of mobile communication network. Data shows that the 5G network is hundreds of times faster than the 4G network. In a scenario that ordinary people can experience: we can imagine downloading a 1G movie in 8 seconds.

　　For the automotive industry, if 4G communication technology enables the connection of in-vehicle intelligent devices, then 5G will become the core technology of the Internet of Things (IoT) connecting various objects, including automobiles. 5G networks are not only fast but also more precise in connection, so automobiles can use 5G networks to upload the real-time changes of themselves and surrounding objects to cloud maps, and judge their relative positions through cloud maps. Even when vehicles are traveling at high speeds, they can respond quickly, making vehicles safer.

　　As Zhang Zhenlin, Vice President of Technology and Rotating Chairman of the Technical Committee of Zhixing Technology Co., Ltd., said in an interview with a reporter from China Automotive News, 5G vehicle networking is crucial for achieving autonomous driving. In the process of autonomous driving, the shorter the time it takes for the vehicle's sensors to receive road condition monitoring information, the higher the safety. This requires the communication network to have high reliability and low latency. It is clear that future vehicles will not independently decide on driving routes or trajectories, but will need to cooperate and sense each other to complete the autonomous driving process.

　　Entertainment and Safety: A Must-Contend Area for Parts Companies in the 5G Era

　　It is in this process of high-speed and precise interaction that automotive parts companies are using 5G as a carrier, working towards the two major goals of vehicle information entertainment and safety and comfort.

　　“Under the 5G network, any functions we can experience on smartphones, in our homes, or in the office can be integrated into cars in the future.” Wang Bin (pseudonym), product manager of the intelligent automotive business department of iFlytek Co., Ltd., told reporters that people's pursuit of high quality of life is keeping pace with the times, and cars will not only be driving tools in the future, but will also take on entertainment functions. With the advent of 5G, in-vehicle entertainment systems are becoming increasingly intelligent, and the experience of using navigation, weather forecasts, and entertainment interaction through voice commands is becoming smoother. Seeing this market prospect, iFlytek has made long-term plans in the field of in-vehicle entertainment and has accumulated a wealth of experience.

　　The primary goal of developing autonomous driving is to improve vehicle safety. But how high is the safety factor of autonomous driving? This is still unknown. Zhang Zhenlin said that whether artificial intelligence, as the most important basic solution for autonomous driving, can help us achieve zero deaths and zero accidents is still unknown. The emergence of 5G will raise the safety of autonomous driving to another level. “Vehicle interconnection with everything through 5G will bring very obvious advantages: when a vehicle decides to change lanes while driving, it can accurately know through 5G information whether there are any vehicles in the other lane, what the acceleration is, etc. Such precise information and feedback speed can better plan our driving routes and decisions,” said Zhang Zhenlin.

　　The automotive parts supply chain is undergoing a massive transformation

　　The interior of a car has an extremely complex electronic and electrical system. Improving the interaction between the car host and various instrument panels and enhancing system integration is of great significance. At present, however, the interior of a car often uses separate or incompatible cables, while the exterior uses wireless connections, and the various systems are incompatible with each other. For example, the infotainment system and the collision avoidance system often use different protocols. With the 5G network era, automotive electronic and electrical systems may adopt common technologies, thus making the overall interaction of automotive systems stronger. This will not only bring about important changes to the development methods of automotive technology and systems, but also bring about a massive transformation to the supply chain of automotive technology, parts, and systems.