Gartner Sees ‘Paramount Role’ for 5G Networks in Autonomous Vehicle Connectivity

5G networks will play a “paramount role” in autonomous vehicle connectivity, said Gartner Thursday. With 5G networks expected to be as much as 10 times more efficient than those of 4G, communications service providers (CSPs) can use that “new level of network capability” to seize “future opportunities” with manufacturers of self-driving vehicles “in the fields of driver safety and data processing and management,” it said. Autonomous vehicle systems and sensors are expected to generate “unprecedented amounts of data,” which will allow automotive OEMs to “extract valuable data insights while limiting the associated provisioning costs,” it said. "CSPs have an opportunity to become strategic partners for OEMs,” it said. Gartner predicts by 2025, autonomous vehicles collectively will upload more than 1 terabyte of vehicle and sensor data a month to the cloud, an increase from the 30 gigabytes uploaded currently from “advanced connected cars,” it said. “To seize the opportunity, CSPs need to make sure 5G is included in the design of future vehicles, in the fields of safety and connectivity,” it said.