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LG Innotek has achieved a significant milestone with the development of the world’s first automotive 5G communication module featuring satellite connectivity. This innovation promises to revolutionize in-vehicle communication by enabling high-speed, high-volume data exchange anywhere, anytime, thereby enhancing safety and advancing autonomous driving capabilities.
Key Highlights
- World’s First: LG Innotek developed the first ‘Third-generation Automotive 5G Communication Module’ with 5G broadband (NR-NTN) satellite connectivity.
- Enhanced Communication: The module allows for continuous, high-speed communication via satellite, even when terrestrial base stations are unavailable.
- Faster Data Transmission: It boasts data transmission speeds hundreds of times faster than previous modules, reaching tens of megabits per second.
- Reduced Latency: Data transmission latency has been significantly reduced from several seconds to just a few hundred milliseconds, improving real-time communication.
- Safety and Autonomous Driving: The technology enables rapid transmission of emergency data and real-time updates for autonomous driving algorithms, improving safety and accuracy.
- International Standards: The module adheres to the 3GPP Release 17 standard, ensuring broad international compatibility.
- Business Growth: LG Innotek aims to grow its vehicle communication module segment into an over $800 million business.
The newly unveiled ‘Third-generation Automotive 5G Communication Module’ by LG Innotek represents a significant leap forward in automotive technology. This module is a critical component for Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and autonomous driving, facilitating data communication with network infrastructure, including base stations and satellites, using 5G technology.
Previously, 5G communication modules with satellite connectivity were limited to narrowband (NB-NTN) channels, suitable only for low-volume data like text messages due to slow transmission speeds. LG Innotek’s new module, however, supports 5G broadband satellite communication (NR-NTN), enabling continuous communication via satellite even when terrestrial connections are lost. This allows for the high-speed transmission and reception of large volumes of data from any location.
The company leveraged its extensive experience in vehicular communication technologies, dating back to 2005, to develop this product. Their expertise includes optimizing software for vehicular communication, designing radio frequency (RF) circuits to minimize signal interference, and creating efficient antennas. This lineage of innovation includes the ‘First-generation Vehicle 5G Communication Module,’ the ‘Second-Generation 5G-V2X Communication Module,’ and a ‘Digital Key Solution.’
The enhanced data transmission speeds of LG Innotek’s module, reaching tens of megabits per second, are hundreds of times faster than existing 5G satellite communication modules. This, combined with a significant reduction in data transmission latency to just a few hundred milliseconds, enables advanced communication services in vehicles. For instance, in remote areas or disaster-stricken regions, high-speed communication can be maintained uninterrupted, facilitating rapid emergency rescue requests and vehicle status updates, thereby improving driver safety.
Furthermore, this module significantly boosts autonomous driving performance by allowing vehicles to transmit and receive precise location information and update autonomous driving algorithms in real time. The module’s compliance with the 3GPP Release 17, the first international standard extending 5G to non-terrestrial networks, ensures its widespread adoption across various countries and vehicle models.
LG Innotek plans to begin mass production of the ‘Third-generation 5G Communication Module’ by the first quarter of 2026, actively promoting it to automakers in North America and Japan. Byaeng kuk Yoo, head of LG Innotek’s Automotive Components Business Unit, emphasized the importance of vehicular communication modules as a core business driver. Industry experts anticipate substantial growth in cars equipped with 5G communication modules, projecting an increase from 4 million in 2024 to 75 million by 2032, representing a compound annual growth rate of 43%.
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