O2 partners with TRL testbed to bring 5G-powered driverless cars to London

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O2 has announced an ambitious project to trial driverless cars in London using its 5G network.

Smart Mobility Living Lab driverless car
(Image credit: Smart Mobility Living Lab)

O2 has partnered with the Smart Mobility Living Lab - a testbed comprised of experts from TRL, DG Cities, Cisco, and Loughborough University - to develop what it claims to be the ‘most advanced driverless testbed in the world’. 

Based in Greenwich and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, the project could reduce the time drivers spend in traffic by 10 per cent, save the economy £880m a year, and reduce CO2 emissions by 370,000 metric tonnes a year, according to O2’s research.

5G road management 

The new 5G road management system could further bolster O2’s impressive third-quarter results, which saw core profit rise to £489m ($629m), and has enabled the company to dive into other areas of 5G, such as automated cars. 

“At O2 we’re determined to help businesses of all sizes access the potential of 5G mobile technology,” said Brendan O’Reilly, chief technology officer at O2. “We know that by powering the transport sector we can make a real difference to consumers by reducing traffic congestion, making journeys safer and faster.

“We’re excited to be working with the teams at the Smart Mobility Living Lab, who are driving forward our understanding how this next generation technology will fundamentally change the fabric of the cities in which we live and work as well as creating entirely new ways to travel.”

O2 is moving ahead with 5G

O2 5G continues to add new cities to its rollout, with 5G already live in six UK cities, a number that will increase to 20 by the end of the year. And the company believes that 5G offers critical support to the UK’s digital economy, supporting both jobs and financial growth.

“As the UK’s largest network, we’re proud of our ability to keep attracting and retaining customers, which ensures a healthy business and drives both top and bottom line growth,” said Mark Evans, chief executive of O2’s parent company Telefonica. “Our third quarter performance continues the strong momentum we saw in the first half of the year, powered by a relentless focus on our customers through award-winning coverage and great offerings such as flexible custom plans and limitless data.”

Fiona Leake
Fiona Leake

Fiona discovered her love for investing and making money from a young age. Since then this interest has grown and now she loves writing about investing and business, and follows the 5G market closely. She is also a technology enthusiast, and so they tend to be her favourite investments.