The City of Peachtree Corners announced that T-Mobile, Applied Information, and Temple are introducing 5G-connected vehicle technology that enables traffic signals to communicate with any vehicle on the road via a mobile app. The technology enables two-way communication on T-Mobile’s 5G network between the traffic signal and devices such as smartphones, tablets, and vehicles equipped with on-board-units, according to the news release.

The smartphone app, named TravelSafely, provides audible warnings about potential red light running and alerts to get ready for green. Communications from the vehicle to the traffic signal can enable normal calls for a green light or green light preemption – or even priority in special cases, such as public safety.

In addition to English, the app provides the warnings and alerts in Spanish, Korean, Hindi, Simplified Chinese, French, and German.

“As another strong reflection of Peachtree Corners’ leadership as an innovative smart city in the United States, we’re excited to offer smart connected infrastructure relevant to our citizens, city employees and visitors by enabling any vehicle to receive communications from 5G-connected traffic signals," said Brian Johnson, city manager of Peachtree Corners. "Cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology isn’t just a concept here, it’s a reality that all people can experience just by downloading an app on their smartphones. This is truly the city street of the future, reminding us again of how important it will be for key elements of a city to communicate with each other to elevate safety and improve the daily lives of residents.”

“The evolution from 4G to 5G brings revolutionary advances in the performance of connected vehicle applications. This powerful collaboration enables the industry to accelerate the pace of change for the better and make for safer travel for all.” said Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information and executive director of the iATL. 

Data collected from this deployment will help roadway operators and traffic technology developers better understand the performance of the 5G network to deliver safety messages to drivers and directly to equipped vehicles, according to the companies. 

In Peachtree Corners, four autonomous shuttles operated by mobility-as-a-service provider, Beep Inc., integrate Applied Information’s C-V2X technology into their fleet for navigation, as well as real-world data collection to test multi-modal interoperability at intersections and testing signal prioritization for the autonomous shuttle fleet.

“We have the experience of safely testing autonomous platforms in real-world use cases within the first smart city environment in the United States," said Joe Moye, CEO of Beep, in a statement. "Completing the vehicle-to-infrastructure equation with communication between drivers, pedestrians, roadside units, traffic signals, buildings and other city-owned infrastructure is critical for both driven and driverless vehicles. Advanced C-V2X technology on our platforms elevates each vehicle’s awareness of its surroundings and is invaluable as we develop more unique technologies to further elevate safety and advance the AV industry.”

The collaboration is part of a partnership between the Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners and the Infrastructure Automotive Technology Laboratory (iATL) to accelerate the development and deployment of connected vehicle safety applications and transportation infrastructure technologies.