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| A KT self-driving car goes on a test drive at 5G-based K-City, jointly set up by KT and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority to verify the safety of autonomous driving technology in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. / Courtesy of KT |
By Jun Ji-hye
KT and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) have completed construction of the nation's first experimental city, based on the high-end fifth-generation (5G) networks, to test autonomous vehicles, the telecom company said Monday.
KT and TS held a ceremony for the completion of "K-City" in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, with the former unveiling its autonomous driving remote control system, dubbed "5G Remote Cockpit."
K-City is a test bed for the level-3 self-driving system, in which a vehicle detects and avoids obstructions on the road on its own, but returns control of driving to drivers in emergencies.
The experimental city, which was set up in the 360,000 square meters of land with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is aimed at commercializing level-3 self-driving cars at the earliest possible date.
KT and TS signed a business agreement on Nov. 15 to conduct joint research and exchange relevant technologies. K-City was their first achievement, the mobile carrier said.
K-City will enable KT and other ICT companies to test their self-driving technologies in a real outdoor environment as KT and TS built the expressway and the roads in the rural suburban city, as well as tollgates and crosswalks there.
KT said it set up remote systems controlling 5G wired and wireless communications, and autonomous driving.
When a driver of a self-driving car feels sick, they can press an emergency call (E-Call) button, which is connected to the 5G Remote Cockpit system. Then, the system immediately begins to control the car remotely, parking it in a safe area and calling an ambulance.
KT also showcased its next-generation intelligence transport system, cooperative-intelligent transport system (C-ITS), as well as security technology, GiGAstealth.
The company added the vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology, connecting high-definition video cameras with super-fast 5G networks, will control traffic and road conditions in real time.
Six companies including Hyundai Motor set up exhibition halls in K-City to share their R&D achievements regarding autonomous driving technologies.
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee visited the exhibition halls, expressing eager expectation of commercial services for self-driving cars, expected to begin in 2020.
"K-City is core infrastructure that will lead the development of the nation's autonomous vehicle industry, and will play an important role in advancing self-driving technologies," said Lee Dong-myun in charge of future platform business at KT. "Based on 5G networks that were commercialized Dec. 1, KT will show diverse innovative services to raise traffic safety."
