In spring 2015, Commissioner Oettinger invited the GSMA to join four other Brussels-based trade associations (spanning automotive and telecoms) to accelerate the take up of connected and automated driving in Europe. The Commissioner wants Europe to be a global leader in connected driving. Since that time, the GSMA has been working closely with ACEA (auto manufacturers), CLEPA (auto suppliers), ETNO and ECTA (both for telecom operators). The Commissioner, his cabinet, DG Connect and many other Commissioner-cabinets and directorates-general across the Commission are also fully engaged.
To track progress and ensure momentum, the Commissioner hosts periodic ‘roundtables’, to which he invites senior executives from the members of the respective trade associations. In response to a call by the Commissioner during the roundtable at Mobile World Congress in February, many member companies from the participating trade associations started developing concrete ideas for a pan-European, cross-border ‘pre-deployment project’ to accelerate the EU-wide deployment of connected and automated driving. At the latest roundtable, in Brussels on 7 July, the status of this project idea was the main topic.
While the project idea is still at a preliminary stage, executives from automotive manufacturers and suppliers, fixed and mobile operators, and equipment vendors were able to show the Commissioner that progress was indeed being made. The proposed project would, in the European and EU context, investigate potential policy and other roadblocks, and thus identify possible technical and regulatory solutions. Starting in 2017, phase I would focus on connected-car applications that can be delivered across ‘evolved 4G networks’. Phase II, starting in 2019, would test 5G capabilities.
To ensure the project is robust, Ms Schaart said that issues of security and privacy should be addressed as a matter of urgency. Without the consent and trust of consumers and businesses, connected and automated driving won’t be adopted. She said Europe has an opportunity to take genuine leadership in security in the global market. Ms Schaart suggested the GSMA IoT Security Guidelines could form a basis upon which specific connected-car guidelines could be developed. The Commissioner welcomed the idea, and asked the five trade associations to work on it and report back at the next roundtable, due in the autumn.