Government to draft V2X spectrum strategy this year
LTE pilot program to shift to 5G
Inter-ministerial coordination and field trials seen as crucial
South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT is drawing up a spectrum plan to support commercial deployment of fifth-generation vehicle-to-everything (5G-V2X) communications, as the government moves to accelerate next-generation cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) and the autonomous driving industry. The initiative comes as AI-powered transportation infrastructure gains momentum worldwide.
Close coordination among government ministries will be critical after previous efforts were slowed by disagreements over policy and technical standards.
The ministry plans to release a provisional 5G-V2X Spectrum Strategy for the Autonomous Driving Era later this year, according to Electronics Times.
Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology enables vehicles to exchange real-time information--including location, speed and driving conditions--with other vehicles (V2V), roadside infrastructure (V2I) and pedestrians (V2P). The technology is regarded as a key component of AI-enabled C-ITS, improving the safety and reliability of autonomous driving systems. Officials say more advanced communications infrastructure will be needed as demand for autonomous driving and connected mobility services continues to grow.
The government has so far conducted pilot V2X programs using LTE technology. As mobile networks evolve, the ministry plans to finalize the spectrum, allocation framework and implementation roadmap needed for a transition to 5G, with deployment expected to begin next year.
The new strategy will identify candidate spectrum bands for 5G-V2X, outline the timing of spectrum allocation and propose revisions to the national frequency allocation table.
The government has currently designated the 5.855-5.925 GHz band for C-ITS services. LTE-V2X operates in a 20 MHz block within the 5.855-5.875 GHz range. Under the proposed transition, authorities are expected to allocate a 40 MHz block--more than double the current bandwidth--within the same 5.9 GHz spectrum.
Industry officials and experts welcomed the move, saying 5G would allow vehicles to exchange surrounding traffic information faster and more reliably than LTE. That could improve autonomous driving capabilities while helping prevent accidents, reduce congestion and modernize traffic management systems. Many also see the initiative as an opportunity to revive the commercialization of V2X and C-ITS technologies, which has made little progress in recent years.
South Korea was an early leader in C-ITS development, launching pilot projects in 2014. However, deployment slowed after years of disagreement between the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport over V2X communications standards. Although LTE was selected as the national standard in 2023, deployment has remained largely limited to pilot programs, delaying wider commercial adoption.
Industry observers say closer cooperation among government agencies and faster field trials will determine the success of the transition. Beyond upgrading communications technology, authorities will need to work together on infrastructure development and large-scale demonstrations to accelerate modernization of the country's transport network.
Elsewhere, companies including Tesla are stepping up deployment of AI-powered autonomous driving technologies. Experts say integrating next-generation communications networks with intelligent transportation infrastructure could further improve both road safety and autonomous driving performance.
“Research shows that applying 5G-V2X to autonomous driving systems based on sensors and cameras can improve overall system performance by at least 50%,” said Jang Kyung-hee, a professor at Inha University and executive chair of the 6G Forum.
“Adding 5G, which offers both high reliability and low latency, could significantly advance autonomous driving technology. More importantly, it provides an opportunity to restart policy discussions on V2X after years of limited progress.”
