LG and Qualcomm announced plans to establish a joint research centre in South Korea to develop 5G and cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X) technologies for cars.

In a statement, LG said the companies will also develop a range of connected car systems they believe are “essential to the success of next-generation autonomous vehicles”.

C-V2X, a 3GPP-backed technology, aims to deliver double the operation time at a lower cost than dedicated short range communications (DSRC) over existing mobile networks for the next-generation of cars.

A number of big-name mobile players and car manufacturers have also committed to developing connected car solutions, through technologies including C-V2X and 5G. Qualcomm and LG are also members of the 5G Automotive Association, alongside players including Ericsson and Huawei, which was formed in 2016 to advance such efforts.

LG noted a number of field trials and standardisation activities for C-V2X are underway across Europe and Asia, with a 2020 rollout the target.

Kim Jin Yong, EVP of LG’s Vehicle Components Smart Business Unit, said the company plans to lead “the next-generation vehicle components market”, and will use the partnership to combine its experience in the market with Qualcomm’s advanced connected solutions covering LTE and 5G.

“We are optimistic that the combined research strength of Qualcomm and LG will yield benefits that would not be feasible working independently,” the LG executive said.

The collaboration will be based in Seoul and the companies aim to begin working together immediately.