Magna Joins Northstar To Enhance Vehicle Safety With 5G

Ericsson announced that Magna has joined Telia and Ericsson's NorthStar Program, to leverage 5G for the development of active safety features for vehicles. These features are intended to reduce the likelihood of accidents and enhance overall road safety. For this purpose, Ericsson and Telia are building a 5G network at Magna’s test track in Vårgårda, Sweden. At the site, Magna will utilize Ericsson 5G millimeter wave technology, providing the low latency and high speeds that are key for the future vehicle safety.

To be able to give timely alerts to the driver and thereby prevent accidents, network speed and response time is key. With Magna’s use of systems for active safety, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), vehicles can alert and assist drivers to avoid accidents, by controlling steering, brakes, and acceleration.  

Magnus Leonhardt, Head of innovation and strategy at Telia Sweden’s enterprise business unit, says: ”Magna is exactly the kind of company we envisioned joining us when we started the NorthStar program. The solutions they develop are based on the premise that vehicles can collect data in near real-time, which requires ultra-fast and reliable connectivity. This is a great opportunity to really push the boundaries of 5G and the millimeter wave technology.”

The 5G network for Magna’s test track will have gigabit data speeds and ultra-low latency, enabling millisecond decisions – crucial for Magna’s driving automation and driver support systems.

Bill Snider, President of Electronics, President of Magna Electronics, says: “By utilizing the latest advancements in mobile networks, we are able to accelerate the automotive domain by offering sensor enhancements and as a result offer more capable and competitive ADAS products. Our focus is not only on meeting challenging technical requirements, but also on developing products that can help anticipate critical situations to prevent accidents, ultimately making the roads safer for all.”

Nora Wahby, Head of Customer Unit Northern, Ericsson, welcomes Magna to NorthStar and the 5G ecosystem: “We are thrilled to have Magna joining NorthStar and to continue to put the power of 5G in the hands of global leaders within the automotive industry. Ericsson’s 5G mmWave technology enables a broad set of use cases with its low latency and very high speeds that will be key for new time-sensitive safety applications.”   

NorthStar’s 5G network, powered by Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, connects to Telia’s existing public 5G network. This interconnectivity will enable Magna to benefit from high-speed connectivity across large geographical areas. The 5G network at Magna’s test track will leverage Ericsson 5G mmWave technology on 26 GHz with 400 MHz bandwidth.

Source: Ericsson media announcement