\tIndustry groups ramped pressure on European regulators to make a u-turn on plans to mandate\u00a0Wi-Fi technology as the primary method of connecting vehicles, ahead of a key vote on the issue by the European Parliament’s transport committee.<\/p>\n
The controversial proposal was announced by the European Commission in March [1] and immediately drew the ire of industry groups.<\/p>\n
At the time the GSMA slammed the decision to select ITS-G5 technology, which is based on 802.11p Wi-Fi standards, as risking \u201cundercutting Europe\u2019s 5G future\u201d as the technology was \u201coutdated\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ahead of a vote on the proposal by the European Parliament\u2019s Committee on Transport and Tourism later today (8 April), ETNO and the GSMA inked a letter to officials urging a change of direction.<\/p>\n
In a statement, ETNO director of strategy and communications Alessandro Gropelli said engineers rather than regulators were best placed to select technologies, noting recent successful trials of cellular-based technologies from Audi, Ericsson and Qualcomm.<\/p>\n
He called on the European Parliament and Council to take a \u201cunique opportunity\u201d to change the direction of the process, adding: \u201cWe must ensure that Europe\u2019s automotive sector has the option of embracing also future-oriented technologies like 5G, if it wishes. Being stuck on the slow lane cannot be an option in today\u2019s global markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if the proposal passes today\u2019s vote it must still go through the full European Parliament and European Council before becoming law.<\/p>\n[1] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/featured-content\/top-three\/gsma-slams-ec-over-car-tech-choice\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Industry groups ramped pressure on European regulators to make a u-turn on plans to mandate Wi-Fi …<\/p>\n
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