Verizon announced a partnership with HERE Technologies to collaborate on the development of safety and navigational systems in connected cars, using the US operator’s 5G network and edge compute platform.

In a statement, the companies said they will explore cutting edge applications of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, coupled with HERE Technologies’ location, data technology and autonomous vehicle expertise.

Initial work will focus on vehicle and pedestrian safety, including collision avoidance, and better location identification and navigation for taxi and delivery services.

Future plans involve developing a wide range of enterprise, industrial and consumer-facing use cases in a number of areas including automotive, smart cities, transport and logistics.

HERE Technologies, which was sold by Finnish vendor Nokia to a German car consortium in 2015, said it will provide Verizon with access to location data, SDKs and APIs from its existing platform.

Edzard Overbeek, CEO of HERE Technologies, hailed the scale of Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network, which he said was designed to enable the higher bandwidth and lower latency “necessary for more precise positioning”.

“Our partnership with Verizon not only allows us to tap into the innovation potential of 5G, but also highlights what is possible when this technology is location intelligence enabled: connected services that are designed to make our world safer, more efficient and environmentally sustainable,” he said.