Magna joins NorthStar to enhance vehicle safety with 5G

Magna, a leading supplier in the automotive space, is joining theNorthStar5G innovation program launched by Ericsson and Telia in February. Magna will leverage 5G to develop active safety features for vehicles that are intended to reduce the likelihood of accidents and enhance overall road safety. For this purpose, Ericsson and Telia are building a dedicated private 5G network at Magna’s test track in Vårgårda, Sweden. At the site, Magna will utilize Ericsson 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) technology, providing the low latency and high speeds that will play a vital role in enabling future vehicle safety.

Network speeds and response times play a key role in determing a system’s ability to provide drivers with timely alerts, thereby preventing accidents. Magna’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for active safety enable vehicles to alert and assist drivers to avoid accidents by controlling steering, brakes and acceleration.

Magnus Leonhardt, Head of Strategy and Innovation at Telia Sweden’s B2B business, says: “Magna is exactly the kind of company we envisioned joining us when we started the NorthStar program. The solutions they develop are based on the premise that vehicles can collect data in near real time, which requires ultra-fast and reliable connectivity. This is a great opportunity to really push the boundaries of 5G and millimeter wave technology.”

The 5G network for Magna’s test track will feature gigabit data speeds and ultra-low latency, enabling decisions to be made in milliseconds – which is a crucial requirement for Magna’s driving automation and driver support systems.

Bill Snider, President of Magna Electronics, says: “By utilizing the latest advancements in mobile networks, we are able to accelerate the automotive domain by offering sensor enhancements and, as a result, offer more capable and competitive ADAS products. Our focus is not only on meeting challenging technical requirements, but also on developing products that can help anticipate critical situations to prevent accidents, ultimately making the roads safer for all.”

Nora Wahby, Head of Customer Unit Northern, Ericsson, welcomes Magna to NorthStar and the 5G ecosystem: “We are thrilled to have Magna joining NorthStar and to continue to put the power of 5G in the hands of global leaders within the automotive industry. Ericsson’s 5G mmWave technology enables a broad set of use cases with its low latency and very high speeds that will be key for new time-sensitive safety applications.”

NorthStar’s 5G network, powered by Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, connects to Telia’s existing public 5G network. This interconnectivity will enable Magna to benefit from high-speed connectivity across large geographical areas. The 5G network at Magna’s test track will leverage Ericsson 5G mmWave technology with 400 MHz of bandwidth on the 26 GHz band.

About NorthStar

Currently, a handful of selected partners are participating in the NorthStar program, including Luleå University of Technology and AstaZero, a full-scale test environment for automated transport systems outside Gothenburg that is run by the RISE research institute. Technically, the NorthStar innovation network consists of a new 5G core network that is integrated with Telia Sweden’s existing, public 5G network, which is being rapidly rolled out across the country and currently covers 80% of the population. Partners can also build local networks at, for example, test sites or research facilities and connect them to the innovation network, regardless of where they are in Sweden. Read more about the NorthStar program here .