A smart road is a system that uses IoT solutions to move smarter. It is therefore possible to have roads that communicate with motorists to provide real-time information on traffic, incidents along the route or weather conditions. Hence the so-called “smart mobility” which, through the use of new technologies, will facilitate road travel and make it safer, through communication and connection with vehicles traveling on a certain road section.
Thanks to the implementation of smart roads, it is possible to provide various services to motorists: diversion of traffic flows in the event of accidents, suggestions for alternative routes, access management, reporting of parking lots and supplies, rapid intervention in the event of an emergency.
For their part, the managers of a smart road can count on monitoring the health of the infrastructure, in order to schedule preventive maintenance and when extraordinary maintenance is needed.
Smart Roads therefore have a public utility function, so much so that their role has been identified and recognized by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. In 2018, the Ministry issued the Smart Road Decree, updated in September 2020, which regulates the testing of automatic and connected vehicles on the public road, making Italy one of the first countries in the world to have created legislation on the matter.
C-ITS are a category of ITS services based on an open network that allows a “many-to-many” or “peer-to-peer” relationship between C-ITS stations. This means that all C-ITS stations, as defined by this regulation, can safely exchange messages and are not limited to the exchange of messages with a single or more predefined stations. The advantages of C-ITS extend over a number of sectors and include improved road safety, greater transport efficiency, mobility and reliability of services, reduced energy consumption, fewer negative effects on the environment and support for economic development.
The goal of Smart Roads is to develop and test a sensor grouping protocol essentially based on the DSRC and C-V2X protocol, protocols that are used by vehicles and road infrastructure to communicate cooperatively, eg. adverse weather or environmental conditions, traffic jams, accidents, dangers, etc. In CAV (Connected Autonomous Vehicle) systems the car is connected to the road infrastructure and a vehicle, in addition to having access to the internet, has sensors and can send and receive signals, perceiving the surrounding reality and interacting with other vehicles or entities. CAVs represent one of the biggest challenges for the automotive world.
The T.net Wi-Fi in Motion system, which enriches the offer of T.net solutions for Smart Roads, is able to provide all road and motorway concessionaires and managers with a data roaming service and voice on vehicles moving at high speed and up to 130 Km / h. In particular, it offers reliable network coverage even in complex environments with variable weather conditions and has the ability to manage a large number of vehicles in transit simultaneously and voice and data communications with adequate Quality of Service (QoS). The system is able to communicate via mobile device with the user, even in hands-free mode. It can also extend communications to older generation vehicles, without affecting the road infrastructure.
Covered areas
The use of frequencies between 2,400 / 2,484 MHz guarantees high connectivity performance, reliable and stable communications to vehicles moving on motorways, even in the case of high speeds.
In the city, the 5Ghz frequencies are also used for a better tolerance to disturbances.
In the motorway sector, the use of higher frequencies is not recommended as phenomena related to the high speed of the vehicles traveling through them occur, decreasing the stability and reliability of the connection and the distances covered are considerably reduced, forcing a greater density of AP with a doubling of costs.
How does it work
T.net is able, thanks to detailed inspections, to propose radio equipment and antennas customized according to the specific needs of each customer, thus providing both connectivity and a detailed and safe mobility information system on the manned sections, able to communicate via mobile device with the user, without distracting him while driving and in hands-free mode.
A dedicated team is able to carry out accurate multi-protocol radio surveys and to suggest the use of the technology and equipment most suitable for the implementation of the use case to be created.
Not everything is always needed. A thorough radio assessment is important to ensure the success of the project.
Who we turn to
Our solution allows all companies, organizations and consortia operating on Italian and European motorways the possibility of having a data and voice roaming service on moving vehicles with high reliability.
How we integrate
This system allows us to bring the Internet and the coverage of the services of the apps we create (or of third parties) to dealers or municipalities even in those places where cellular coverage is more scarce or slower, ensuring a reliable service up to vehicle speeds of 130 km / h.
Integrated with other technologies, it allows you to have the position of users who intend to make use of the advanced services.
Wi-Fi coverage becomes important within very long tunnels where traditional radio coverage as well as cellular coverage is scarce or non-existent.
The Wi-Fi in motion system integrates within T.net’s IoT Universal Platform, cooperating with other microservices to improve resolution in the localization of devices and to provide high bandwidth capabilities, for example to collect video information.
It can also be used for info-tainment functions, i.e. to distribute multimedia or interactive content.
The system was tested with Extreme Networks systems with cells every 300 meters for 2.4 Ghz coverage and every 250 meters for 5Ghz coverage with access points positioned on 12-meter poles in the center of a two-lane highway in each direction.
The low consumption network is the technology on which the projects we provide to our customers are based. It guarantees a longer life cycle, low maintenance and a higher geographical coverage.
The creation of a proprietary network based on LoRa or 6LoWPAN also allows high savings, especially when the number of sensors tends to increase. The two protocols have very different advantages and characteristics that must be carefully considered when implementing a solution for a customer.
Thanks also to numerous collaborations with prestigious Research Bodies and to the long experience gained, T.net is the ideal partner to choose and implement the most suitable network protocol to ensure reliable and always controlled performance.
