C-ITS Platform WG6: Technical issues Topic: Frequencies & Hybrid Communications

Transcription

1 C-ITS Platform WG6: Technical issues Topic: Frequencies & Hybrid Communications 1 st Meeting: 4 th December 2014, 09:00 13:00 Venue: Philippe Le Bon 3, Room 2/25, Brussels Executive Summary In terms of frequencies and C-ITS there are 2 main items that are on the agenda: one being the possible introduction of RLAN (WiFi) in the 5GHz band; and the other the potential interference between the 5.8 GHz (e-tolling) and 5.9 GHz (ITS-G5) frequencies. While at this point in time no conclusions have been reached on whether it would be possible to introduce RLAN in the 5GHZ band the C-ITS industry is quite concerned about potential interference. Co-existence studies are still on-going and no conclusions have been reached yet. It is proposed to keep a watchful eye on evolutions in this sector. In order to assess how best to tackle the potential interference between the 5.8 GHz (e-tolling) and 5.9 GHz (ITS-G5) frequencies a cost model needs to be developed in order to assess the costs of making the necessary changes on either the e-tolling or the Automotive side. There was a consensus amongst participants that there is a risk of delay in introducing C-ITS equipped vehicles if a decision on how to avoid interference is not taken by March On the topic of Hybrid Communications in the C-ITS environment task groups in other organisations (e.g. ERTICO and the Amsterdam Group) have been set up results are expected around February Therefore it has been proposed to await the results of these groups before taking the issue of Hybrid Communications further. Action List Nr. Action Responsible 1 Meeting Minutes DG MOVE 2 Development of model to analyse the costs associated with tackling the interference issue between the 5.8GHz and the 5.9GHz frequencies. Relevant WG Members 3 Conference call to discuss progress on the above mentioned cost model DG MOVE 4 Provision of information on hybrid communications (GSMA contacts, CONVERGE Initiative, Ericsson mobility report) Relevant WG Members

2 1. Opening of the meeting and adoption of the agenda (DG MOVE) As announced by DG MOVE via on 18 th of November the meetings of WG6 (Technical Issues Topic Frequencies) and WG7 (Standardisation) have been combined into a single meeting. The meeting minutes provided below only deal with the Frequencies part of this meeting. 2. Identification of main topics: In terms of Frequencies and C-ITS there are 2 main items that are on the agenda: - RLAN in the 5GHz band - Potential interference between 5.8 GHz (e-tolling) and 5.9 GHz (ITS-G5) 3. RLAN in the 5GHz band A member of the WG explained the mandate given to the CEPT to study the possibility of expansion of RLAN (i.e. WiFi) in the 5GHz band. This requires analysis on whether the co-existence of RLAN with the existing users in this band (e.g. ITS-G5 and the frequencies used for e-tolling (5.8GHz)) is possible. He pointed out that this analysis was still on-going within the CEPT. But that so far results were not that promising, implying that it will not be easy to allow for expansion of RLAN in the 5GHz band. He also pointed out that besides frequencies used for ITS applications also the European project Copernicus (an Earth Exploration Satellite Service previously known as GMES) is in the 5 GHz band 1 and that decisions allowing co-existence between RLAN and other users in that 5GHz band would not be taken lightly. Participants noted that the Telecom sector has a strong interest to expand into this band and expressed their concerns that even small incidents of interference could have potentially fatal consequences. There was also a concern that if in the US the extension bands are introduced, the new "extended" RLAN routers could be easily imported in the EU. It was pointed out that tolling in 5.8 GHz has no spectrum regulatory protection, because tolling is allocated as SRD (short range device) in ISM band. Nevertheless, CEPT was asked to study mitigation measures also for this band. On the other hand safety related ITS in 5.9 GHz has right of protection as a co-primary user in the MHz band and the introduction of RLAN services in that band will be accepted only if and when scientifically proven and mutually agreed interference mitigation measures will be available. Thus, there is still a long way to go before the expansion of RLAN in the 5GHz would become possible. And that because of difficulties both in the EU and in the US - to find a way to co-exist with other users in the 5GHz band the issue would be deleted from the agenda of the 2015 World Radio Conference and potentially be discussed at the following one in 2018/19. The Chair concluded that given this is an important topic we should keep a watchful eye which should be possible through those participants in this WG that are also active in the relevant working groups in CEPT. 4. Interference between 5.8 GHz and the 5.9GHz band The Chair introduced the topic of the potential interference between the 5.8 GHz (as used in e- Tolling applications) and the 5.9 GHz (ITS G5) frequencies. He explained that there had been preliminary discussions between sector representatives in the presence of DG MOVE. These conversations had been very helpful in mapping the problem and identifying a process to move towards a solution MHz 2

3 It was considered useful to go through all the underlying assumptions in the Working Group as a preliminary step to identify a solution. Time criticalness The chair invited discussions in order to assess how time-critical it was to solve the interference issue. Some participants pointed out that there is a risk of a delay of introducing C-ITS equipped vehicles if a decision on how to avoid interference is not taken by March There was a consensus amongst participants on this point of view. Technical solutions possible Following a discussion amongst participants it became clear that there are several technical solutions possible to avoid interference between the 5.9GHz (ITS G5) and the 5.8 GHz (e-tolling) frequencies. For the purposes of this discussion the chair classified them as solutions that (a) require some form of adaptation on the e-tolling side (i.e. equipping those with a C-ITS beacon so that cars are able to recognise when they approach an e-tolling gate) or solutions that (b) require extra hardware inside the vehicle. This type of classification although quite rudimentary was agreed upon by participants. One participant noted that in the past it was very difficult for equipment manufacturers to comply with the very strict spectrum mask that was required by the standards in order to avoid unwanted emissions in the e-tolling frequency range. However recent technical evolutions made this now possible. This would mitigate the need for additional hardware to detect the presence of e-tolling gates. However this type of technology comes with additional costs. The chair recognized that solving the interference issue would not present a perfect solution for everyone. He underlined that if the specifications for both the 5.8GHz e-tolling equipment and the 5.9 GHz ITS equipment would have been developed today this interference issue would probably not have occurred in the first place, but that historic evolutions have to be taken into account. And since the e-tolling side is the established industry the chair pointed out that it could not be asked to bear the upgrade costs. Cost of implementing solutions Since technical solutions are possible on both the e-tolling side as well as on the side of the in-carequipment itself, the chair raised the question which would be the cheapest solution to implement in the long run. In previous discussions on this topic the assumption was that it would be cheaper to fit the e-tolling gates with additional hardware. However participants pointed out that this might be the case but that a more detailed calculation would be needed before coming to this conclusion. Elements the participants mentioned that should be taken into account are (1) the labour costs required to retrofit the e-tolling gates: those costs typically go up over time and (2) the cost of ICT-hardware and chipsets inside C-ITS equipped vehicles that typically become lower over time. The chair stressed that when developing the cost analysis the use of the 5.8GHz frequency for the enforcement of the Digital Tachograph and the Weights & Dimension legislation should also be taken into account. Preliminary conclusions In previous discussions on the interference topic the general conclusion reached was that (1) technical solutions could be implemented on either side (2) the cheapest solution would be to implement additional hardware on the e-tolling side, and (3) since the e-tolling industry could not be asked to fund the upgrades; the focus should be on the development of a business model to fund the upgrade on the side of the e-tolling industry. 3

4 However this conclusion was based on the assumption that it would be cheaper to install additional hardware on the e-tolling side (in comparison to installing additional hardware in C-ITS equipped vehicles). The working group came to the conclusion that that assumption needs to be verified. Therefore the chair concluded that before taking the discussion any further the results of a more thorough cost analysis are needed. Given the time criticalness it was suggested that the two parties most closely involved in this topic (the e-tolling and automotive industry) would develop the cost model with the utmost urgency. It was agreed to have a conference call between the automotive industry, the e-tolling industry and the European Commission to judge progress on the cost model. It was suggested to hold this conference call before end of 2014 [note: following the meeting, the date of 16 January 2015 was put forward]. 4. Hybrid Communications & C-ITS The Chair introduced the topic of Hybrid Communications. He pointed out that besides relying on ITS- G5 in the 5.9GHz band the use of existing mobile networks could be of great value for the development of C-ITS applications. Therefore it would be useful to develop an understanding of any potential barriers in this area that would hamper the development of C-ITS. While one participant noticed that the standards developed for C-ITS applications are access layer agnostic, another participant pointed out that there might be an issue when conflicting messages arrive over different communication channels. Other participants pointed to the need for infrastructure providers to understand which technology to invest in. Similar questions seem to be present in Japan; the Amsterdam group will have a meeting early 2015 together with AASHTO to discuss these. Participants highlighted that the topic of hybrid communication was already subject of on-going work at ERTICO and the Amsterdam Group. Results of this work would become available by mid-february. The chair suggested therefore postponing further meetings on this topic till the results of these studies become available. Areas that the chair suggested that would be important are (nonexhaustive list): the impact of introducing IPv6, the ability of the communication networks to deal with an increasing amount of C-ITS related communications, etc. Should such items not be included in studies undertaken by other groups (i.e. ERTICO, Amsterdam Group), they could be taken up by this WG. Besides the work being done by task forces in ERTICO and the Amsterdam Group, participants also pointed to work being done in this area by mobile operators and equipment providers. Additional information will be forwarded to the chair for further distribution. The chair also referred to a study ordered by DG CONNECT on the use of commercial mobile networks for mission critical applications 2. Another issue that was highlighted by participants was Roaming. There is indeed the risk of a high cost for the consumer when crossing borders. Moreover, there are issues with the technical implementation of roaming by mobile providers (basically meaning that there is no local breakout and hence the C-ITS data has to be hair-pinned back over the home gateway of the mobile operator that the user is subscribed to). Should this issue not be addressed in the ERTICO study the chair suggested the Commission could take a closer look at the impact of roaming on the development of C-ITS. 2 This study is available on: 4

5 Annex I: Agenda Draft Agenda 1. Introduction Adoption of the agenda of the meeting Standardisation Section (till 9h45) Standardisation Summary of WG7 Standardisation Conference Call on 26 th of November: Standardisation as a horizontal C-ITS platform activity Discussion and feedback from the group planning of activities and next steps Frequencies Section (9h45 onwards) Identification of main topics: RLAN in the 5GHz band Potential interference between 5.8GHz (e-tolling) and 5.9 GHz (ITS-G5) 4. RLAN in the 5GHz band: Questions / Challenges / Issues to tackle Problem Statement Discussion on the way forward 5. Interference between 5.8 GHz and 5.9 GHz Problem Statement (e-tolling C-ITS) Concerns of other users of the 5.8 GHz spectrum (e.g. Digital Tachograph) Discussion on the way forward 6. Miscellaneous (time permitting) Hybrid Communications discussion of work programme AOB 5. Division of tasks / work programme Distribution of tasks: What needs to be tackled? By whom? By when? Planning of next meetings Types of meetings (physical/conf call/.) 5

6 Annex II: List of participants Alain Servel Alexander Froetscher Alvaro Arrue Anders Fagerholt Anthony Boucher Bettina Erdem Corinna Deubel Dieter Smely Frans op de Beek Friedl Maertens Hennes Fischer Jaap Vreeswijk Johannes Slettengren Josef Kaltwasser Jurgen Redlich Marko Jandritis Markus Riederer Niels Andersen Pär Degerman Paul Spaanderman Pete Houlden Richard Lax Volker Fricke Wolfgang Meyer Bernardo Martinez Alain Van Gaever Giuseppe Rizzo PSA Peugeot Citroen DOT (AT) / AustriaTech IDIADA Ericsson DOT (UK) Continental Volkswagen Group Kapsch CEDR IBM Yamaha Imtech SCANIA OCA GDV ASFINAG FEDRO (CH) Car2Car SCANIA FIGIEFA Kapsch IBM CLEPA DG MOVE DG MOVE DG CONNECT 6