T-Mobile is taking advantage of its dominance in 5G network technologies by looking into ways to operate a self-driving car project, which will focus on an all-electric fleet. The telco company announced that it is partnering with Miller Electric Company to bring autonomous shuttles in Jacksonville, Florida, that will cater to visitors as part of the city's advancement efforts.
In this latest project, T-Mobile is set to co-develop autonomous shuttles that can drive around the city without a need for a driver operating the vehicle. But it was not revealed if this will be a driverless experience like the robotaxis.
T-Mobile Partners with Miller Electric Company to Bring 5G Self-Driving Cars
T-Mobile announced in a press release that it has partnered with Miller Electric Company to deliver a new kind of self-driving car — one that will rely on a private 5G network to work. According to T-Mobile, wireless networks such as Wi-Fi are not reliable for operating a massive autonomous fleet, but there is potential in the 5G network where it can be scaled and set to their desired specifications to power autonomous driving.
Miller Electric will use T-Mobile's Advanced Network Solutions (ANS) to provide the "highest bandwidth and lowest latency" that will connect autonomous vehicles to its dedicated control center in the area via a 5G private network.
While T-Mobile will not develop self-driving technology like Tesla, Waymo and more did, its 5G private network will be a crucial component in the operations that will allow stable connections to the vehicles.
T-Mobile's All-Electric Fleet in Jacksonville to Run on 5G Network
T-Mobile and Miller Electric will launch their service in a three-mile stretch that will transport visitors from the T-Mobile EverBank stadium in Jacksonville to the new waterfront hub, as part of the city's new Ultimate Urban Circulator program.
With this, T-Mobile announced that its 5G solutions are also building up to bring significant development to smart city initiatives that can utilize its networks for self-driving projects and more.
Self-Driving Passenger Cars are Expanding
The self-driving passenger cars are seeing significant growth in the current tech landscape as many companies bring significant updates to the experiences that are already operational in select cities. However, it also saw new companies looking to join the development, with Elon Musk's Tesla recently unveiling its robotaxi project known as the Cybercab, which will soon roam the streets to service passengers.
On the other hand, there are already two companies dominating the space as Alphabet, Google's parent company, launched Waymo and General Motors' Cruise are already leading the driverless experience in many cities in the United States. The company recently faced setbacks after a series of accidents plagued the service, but it has slowly bounced back from the issues.
The future is autonomous, according to many developers who are working on expanding the technology, as well as Tesla's CEO who is known for long promoting the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. Self-driving electric shuttles are also being set up as a mode of transportation in the future where commuters only need to board at stops and alight at their destination, with T-Mobile and Miller Electric Company set to revolutionize this further with 5G technology.
