Enabling Autonomous Vehicles: 5G, 'Edge Computing'

The rollout of 5G, combined with the ability to compute on the edge, are allowing for new developments in V2V and V2I communications. Here's why low latency and gigabit speeds are essential.

1 minute read

March 19, 2018, 12:00 PM PDT

By PabloValerio @pabl0valerio


A car moving at 50mph travels 72 feet—or 22 meters—in one second. If something happens on the road, and the vehicle's network sends a message to the brakes that takes 100 milliseconds to arrive, it could be too late to stop a collision. Any delay could be critical.

Today's wireless networks have run into a problem—more people and devices are consuming more data than ever before, but data remains crammed on the same bands of the radio-frequency spectrum that mobile providers have always used. Those bands, from 300KHz to 6GHz, are used for everything: smartphones, fixed wireless phones, remote control devices, all WiFi 801.11 specs, Bluetooth and other devices.

Having gigabit speeds and low latency, down to one millisecond, is not enough to ensure quick response, especially on self-driving vehicles. Fast on-board CPUs, plus additional processing at basestations, is a must. This is commonly referred to as edge computing.


Monday, March 19, 2018 in The Connected Car

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

White Waymo autonomous car driving fast down city street with blurred background at night.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars

Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

June 16 - Smart Cities Dive

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

June 16 - Governing

People riding bicycles on separated bike trail.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike

For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

June 16 - UNM News