Protect vehicle to everything in the 5.9 GHz band from unlicensed device users, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation asked the FCC. “Recent filings in this proceeding by NCTA and CableLabs erroneously downplay the risk of harmful interference … from unlicensed operations,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138: The CableLabs study “was done solely through modeling that makes unrealistic and simplistic assumptions that, in many cases, do not reflect real world tests or operating conditions.” Commissioners are expected to consider a 5.9 GHz order as early as next month (see 2009090058). NCTA and CableLabs didn’t comment.

SiriusXM reception will be available on “nearly all” Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles beginning with model year 2021 under a contract extension with General Motors that runs into 2027, said the companies Monday. GM will continue to deploy SiriusXM’s 360L connected car platform in nearly a million Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles, they said: GM vehicles with 360L “will continue to increase in the years ahead.”

The best course for the 5.9 GHz band would be reallocating it for cellular vehicle to everything technology (C-V2X), the 5G Automotive Association said in a call with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology and Office of Economics and Analytics. 5GAA proposed two plans but preferred the one to allocate the band's upper portion for basic C-V2X direct services and the lower portion for advanced C-V2X. “Should the Commission choose to reallocate the lower portion of the band for unlicensed operations, the 5GAA representatives stressed the importance of adopting rules that allow for robust C-V2X Direct operations in the upper portion,” the group said. If the FCC opens the band for Wi-Fi, “identify 40 MHz of dedicated, mid-band spectrum elsewhere for Advanced C-V2X Direct,” the association asked. Representatives of major automakers and tech companies including Qualcomm, Nokia and Panasonic participated, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138.

The 5G Automotive Association corrected its proposed rules for cellular vehicle-to-everything in 30 MHz of the 5.9 GHz band. Among the changes, “delete in its entirety subsection (b) in 5GAA’s proposed rule section 95.3167 and make any necessary conforming edits,” the group said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138: “This subsection is unnecessary because 5GAA proposed an on board unit transmit power limit based only on effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) levels.” NCTA, meanwhile, countered a July Ford Motor report on the threat from Wi-Fi in part of the band to intelligent transportation systems (see 2007140057). The report “does not contain any new test results or analysis of existing data,” NCTA said: “Instead, the Ford Submission … repackages its previous ineffective advocacy with new mistaken assertions.”

Sennheiser will demonstrate a premium car audio system at its Berlin store Thursday featuring its Ambeo Mobility and Continental’s Ac2ated Sound, allowing full audio individualization for each seat. Personalized listening zones are created by specially designed headrests with integrated high-fidelity transducers to create personal near-field playback zones. A driver can make a call while a passenger listens to an e-book, said the company. Ambeo software analyzes and distills fundamental components of a native stereo music track and plays them back “immersively” through the appropriate loudspeaker or actuator, it said. Continental’s system creates a “concert-hall experience” with minimum hardware, it said.

Entercom is launching its first native automotive application on select connected General Motors vehicles, it said Monday. The Radio.com in-dash app will offer local news and sports content, music stations, podcasts and on-demand audio content beginning Sept. 15.

A new family of integrated power management ICs from Dialog Semiconductor is designed to meet power and thermal efficiency requirements of in-cabin automotive electronics systems, including infotainment, navigation, telemetry and advanced drive assistance systems, said the company Monday. The DC-DC converters are said to require fewer external components than competing systems.

Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America, explained the group’s push for prompt action on the 5.9 GHz band (see 2008210044) in calls with an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138. “Reallocating all 75 megahertz of the unused 5.9 GHz band for unlicensed use and authorizing [vehicle-to-everything] in a new public safety band, particularly the 4.9 GHz band, can achieve the optimal win-win for consumers and the U.S. economy,” Calabrese said. 5G Automotive Association representatives emphasized in a call with a Pai aide the growing use of cellular V2X. Ford “plans to deploy C-V2X Direct throughout its vehicle fleet pending favorable Commission action in this proceeding, and many other automakers, including Fiat Chrysler, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tesla, among others, also have endorsed this technology,” 5GAA said: “This growing momentum is also reflected in planned and operational infrastructure deployments of C-V2X Direct technology in Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, and -- most recently -- Hawaii.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment on a waiver request by Tesla to market a sensing device that would operate in the 60-64 GHz band at a higher power than specified in FCC rules. Comments are due Sept. 21, replies Oct. 19, in docket 20-264. “Tesla indicates that its device would be focused on the interior of automotive passenger vehicles for applications such as child safety systems and seatbelt reminders; however, it also states that the device may be able to scan up to 2 meters (6 feet) outside of the vehicle, and that millimeter-wave sensors can provide vehicle security benefits such as detecting a broken window or vehicle intrusion,” OET said Thursday. OET also sought comment on an Infineon Technologies waiver request, with the same deadlines, in docket 20-263, for in-vehicle child safety systems that operate in the 57-64 GHz band at higher power than specified in FCC rules.

Google’s entry into car infotainment as a “full-stack” platform provider is intensifying competition in the navigation market, reported Strategy Analytics Wednesday. “Once reserved only for flagship luxury models and brands, navigation has now become a common and desired feature in mainstream brands and models,” said SA. “There’s no one-size-fits-all formula,” it said. “The challenge for OEMs going forward will be on combining the different data layers in a compelling package to the consumer. It’s not an overstatement to say Google’s emergence in this space is a game-changer and wake-up call for the segment.”