V2X for Road Vehicle Safety

Quantum computing

Quantum computing posed a threat for electronic equipment world over because of lack of standardization, which was expected to be in place by 2026. IDEMIA from the US was the first company to introduce quantum-safe SIM. This meant that the design and components could be protected. IDEMIA had a vast production facility in India, producing 25 SIM cards per second and delivering to 180 countries around the globe. US-based MNOs too were getting their SIMs produced here in India.

The most important thing we felt was without taking into confidence or collaborating with the Ministry of Road Transport, we cannot implement spectrum allocation. We have requested them for collaboration and things are under process and I hope we will do something in the coming times.

Dr PSM Tripathi
Ministry of Communications

The larger objective

However, road safety and not technology was the larger objective. A significant part of road fatalities was pedestrians, bicycles and two wheelers. Technology, as in V2X, was not a differentiator, not a separate offering to customers as a branded product. It can be seen as an enabler that would help all stakeholders collaborate in ensuring road safety.

We have to control the supply chain, software stack and then, further, we can secure the automotive industry.

Pranav Singh, IDEMIA

Inter-department collaboration

Within the government, a committee has been formed to identify spectrum for ITS. The committee however felt the need to collaborate with the Ministry of Road Transport as they were the primary implementers. Spectrum allocation was done and accordingly a proposal was sent to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to reserve a larger bandwidth for sensors and radars. TRAI has issued a consultation paper accordingly. This was one example of successful collaboration between stakeholders.

Cyber Security specific to V2X

The Telematic Control Unit (TCU) controls the working of V2X, Bluetooth and other connectivity, which, if not secured, can make vehicle data vulnerable to breach. Cyber security concepts like Root of Trust or Zero Trust security help securing the TCU, making it safe for the vehicle on the road.