LG Innotek unveils new 5G communication module for self-driving cars

South Korea’s LG Innotek Co. on Wednesday unveiled its second-generation 5G communication module for use in autonomous driving cars.

Based on Qualcomm chips, the module, 5G-V2X, has significantly improved long-distance data transmission between vehicles and vehicles (V2V), vehicles to pedestrians (V2P) and vehicles to infrastructure (V2I) using 5G communication technology, it said.

The module combines communication chips, radio frequency circuits and other parts to enable data communication between self-driving cars and nearby base stations.

LG’s latest communication module is an upgrade to its first-generation 5G module, the world’s first such device unveiled in 2019.

The new model boasts a V2X data download speed of 150 megabits per second (Mbps), more than four times faster than its previous model’s 35 Mbps.

It incorporates over 800 parts for 5G communication, a 60% increase compared to the 480 parts included in its first-generation module.

To minimize high-frequency 5G signal loss caused by direct sunlight and heat, LG Innotek said it has upgraded its temperature control algorithm, offering stable 5G vehicle communication even at 90 degrees Celsius.

With improved durability, the new module covers a communication distance of up to 1.5 km, it said.

GROWING SELF-DRIVING CAR PARTS MARKET

For the ease of installation inside a car, the size of the 5G-V2X communication module has been reduced by 20% to 46 mm x 50 mm, half the size of a typical credit card, LG said.

The new product is compatible with the latest 5G standard, known as 3GPP Release 16, allowing it to be used regardless of country, terrain or vehicle type, it said.

The company aims to commercialize the 5G-V2X module by 2025, targeting global markets, including the US, Japan and European countries.

According to market tracker Techno Systems Research, vehicles equipped with 5G communication modules will reach 21.8 million by 2027 from an estimated 1.7 million cars this year.

LG Innotek is a major camera module supplier for Apple Inc.’s iPhones.

Camera modules are also increasingly key vehicle components as automakers push for higher levels of autonomous driving.

The world’s top maker of telecommunications chip substrates, including the radio frequency system in package substrates, said last year it will invest 1.4 trillion won ($1.1 billion) to expand facilities for semiconductor substrates and camera modules.

Write to Sungsu Bae at baebae@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.