LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE 360 EUROPE, BRUSSELS: Network slicing is the only way to prepare for the added pressure that expanding use cases in the connected car sector will place on infrastructure in the coming years.

In a presentation, Johannes Springer, CTO of connected car systems at Deutsche Telekom’s T-Systems subsidiary (pictured), said autonomous vehicles will place a number of demands on networks.

“No network can fit all the purposes and all the requirements of the automotive industry” he noted, referring to services including remote control driving for valet parking; the ability to lock and unlock a car from a distance; truck platooning; or updating vehicle software.

These use cases will require enhanced mobile broadband, ultra reliability and low latency, said Springer during the Paving the Way for Connected Cars session.

Springer explained building a parallel, separate, infrastructure for the auto industry (and other industries) does not make sense. By the same token, asking operators to build all the required capabilities into one network is “maybe too complex for operators to manage”, he said.

The answer, then, is “network slices on one physical layer for several purposes.”

“Low latency together with predictability and guaranteed latency” is one very good example of a network capability which can be achieved using this approach, Springer said.

He also pointed to smooth integration of customer connectivity as a key focus area for the auto industry, which will minimise driver distraction and hence risk of accidents.

LTE will help with this, as will 5G, but the focus should be on the quality of service and the seamless integration of new functionalities, he said.