Ericsson is partnering with leading Swedish and international companies to test a 5G-enabled self-driving electric minibus in the heart of Stockholm.
The 5G Ride initiative minibus will operate along a short route on the island of Djurgården – home to many of Stockholm’s best-known attractions and sites – for approximately two weeks.
Members of the public are allowed to ride in the minibus in accordance with strict COVID-19-related regulations, including social distancing measures.
As part of their ongoing strategic 5G partnership to boost digitalisation across multiple industries and use cases in the Nordics, Ericsson and Nordic Communications Service Provider, Telia Company (Telia), have deployed 5G sites along the trial route.
The network is powered by commercial Ericsson Radio System products and solutions. Ericsson is also providing the technical solution for the related control tower. Telia also launched an Ericsson-powered 5G in central Stockholm on 700Mhz band earlier this year.
The high-speed data transfer, low latency and reliability of 5G enables the connected minibus to respond in real-time to commands from the control tower.
The initial tests are expected to be followed by further trials in 2021. The aim is to pave the way towards making 5G-enabled electric driverless public transport services a reality.
