C-V2X takes another step forward in the USC-V2X takes another step forward in the US

The FCC this week issued another set of rules aimed at governing cellular communications among vehicles, stop lights and other transportation elements.

The agency's move essentially creates another building block that regulators and the US auto industry can use to potentially create safer roadways via wireless communications.

But the FCC's rules also arrive as autonomous driving – without full-blown C-V2X technology – gains steam. For example, Alphabet's Waymo recently expanded its self-driving taxi service to several more major US cities. And Tesla has promised similar services in the years to come.

Regardless, regulators and others are moving forward with C-V2X rules and specifications. V2X stands for "vehicle to everything," and the C stands for "cellular."

"These new rules will accelerate the automotive industry and state and federal government plans for transitioning from dated technology to the more advanced C-V2X automobile safety technology," the FCC said of its new rules. "In-vehicle and roadside units will be permitted to operate C-V2X technology in the 5.9GHz spectrum band dedicated to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)."

Specifically, the agency detailed the parameters of C-V2X communications in the 5.9GHz band, but it stopped short of recommendations around the exact 3GPP-based standards releases that those in the industry should use. "We encourage industry to develop a consensus concerning 3GPP releases covering C-V2X. We believe this approach is necessary due to the constantly evolving nature of both 3GPP standards and the functionality of C-V2X," the agency wrote.

The background

The FCC's new rules build on several years of work at the agency. 

For example, in 2020, in the waning days of the first Trump administration, the FCC voted to take away around 60% of the spectrum for the connected car industry and instead use it for unlicensed operations.

Since then, the FCC has successfully fought off efforts to reverse the agency's spectrum decision.

The agency's new ruling outlines the technical details of C-V2X communications in 30MHz of spectrum between 5.895GHz and 5.925GHz. The 45MHz below that chunk of spectrum will be reallocated from connected cars and instead dedicated to unlicensed operations like Wi-Fi.

In 2020, the FCC also voted to implement a change to the technology underpinning connected car communications. Instead of previous efforts to use the Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) standard, which is based on the 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol, as the technology of choice for connected cars, the FCC decided instead to approve the C-V2X standard.

The FCC's move toward C-V2X represents a major win for Qualcomm, which has long promoted C-V2X standards. Indeed, Qualcomm has been working to dramatically expand its sales into the automotive industry – the company recently said it expects its automotive revenues to grow to $8 billion by 2029.

European regulators are also working to advance C-V2X deployments there.

The way forward

The FCC's new rules coincide with a push by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to promote C-V2X technology. After all, the technology promises to allow vehicles and wireless devices to communicate with each other and with roadside infrastructure like crosswalks and stop sights.

"The department recognizes the potential safety benefits of V2X, and this plan will move us closer to nationwide adoption of this technology," US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in August.

In August, USDOT released a plan to accelerate C-V2X deployment. Broadly, the agency's document outlines how transportation agencies across the country ought to deploy C-V2X technologies. For example, by 2028, it suggests that V2X technologies be deployed across 20% of the nation's highway system, and that the nation's top 75 metro areas have at least 25% of their intersections with V2X-enabled traffic signals. On the automaker side, it suggests that at least two carmakers commit to V2X-capable vehicles by their 2028 model year.

The document also lays out some of the basic cybersecurity methodologies regulators and others should take to keep their C-V2X deployments secure.

It's not clear how the incoming Trump administration might handle such goals.

Article updated December 10 to clarify the standards that might be used for C-V2X deployments.