Telia plans 150km of 5G transport corridors for self-driving vehicles

Within the framework of the NorthStar innovation program launched in February 2023 and with EU funding awarded in December 2022, Telia is developing 150 kilometers of 5G transport corridors along selected routes between important industrial and technology clusters around Sweden. The corridors will connect controlled test areas with public roads, with full-scale tests scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2024, helping to change the future of transport services in Sweden.

In Stockholm, corridors are being built on the E4 between Södertälje and Nyköping and Solna and Rosersberg, as well as on the E18 between Danderyd and Kapellskär. In Gothenburg, corridors are being built along National Highway 40 between Råda and Hindås and Hindås and Viared, in close proximity to AstaZero, a full-scale test environment for automated transport systems.

As Magnus Leonhardt, Head of Strategy and Innovation at Telia Sweden’s B2B business, explains, the corridors will play a key role in the development of connected and autonomous vehicles.

“We are developing unique 5G infrastructure that will reach public environments,” Leonhardt says. “By upgrading the existing 5G network and connecting NorthStar's innovation network along strategically selected routes in industrially dense regions, we are establishing transport corridors that enable vehicles to switch between local dedicated mobile networks and the public 5G network.

“This is an incredibly important step for us and our partners in the NorthStar innovation program, and an important piece of the puzzle in the establishment of a Northern European transport corridor to test and develop systems for connected and autonomous vehicles, such as self-driving electric trucks. These transport corridors are unique and will play a decisive role in determining whether we are able to introduce new, smarter and more sustainable transport solutions in society in a safe and secure way,” Leonhardt says.

The 5G transport corridors will help to enable automated vehicles to travel from one logistics hub to another. This is a scenario that is currently being developed as part of the NorthStar program at the AstaZero test environment outside Gothenburg, which is owned by the RISE research institute. Once the corridors are up and running, the testing can be extended to public roads, enabling vehicles to start at a port, travel along the highway and eventually arrive at a fenced storage facility.

Authorities hope that automation will also help to reduce transport emissions, as Jonas Eriksson, Head of Gothenburg Green City Zone at Business Region Gothenburg, explains.

“Electrification, digitalization and automation are required in the emission-free transport system that we are creating together in Gothenburg right now,” Eriksson says. “The NorthStar venture gives us a unique opportunity to attract actors who want to scale up their trials, in a real environment. Our transport solutions must be smart.”

About NorthStar

The NorthStar innovation program was launched by Telia and Ericsson in February 2023 with an initial focus on the automotive industry and the development of smart and sustainable transport solutions. Currently, a handful of selected partners are participating in the program, including AstaZero and Luleå University of Technology. Technically, the NorthStar innovation network consists of a new 5G core network that is integrated with Telia Sweden’s existing, public 5G network, which is being rapidly rolled out across the country and currently covers 75% of the population. Partners can also build local networks at, for example, test sites or research facilities and connect them to the innovation network, regardless of where they are in Sweden. Read more about the NorthStar program (in Swedish) here.

Read more about the EU’s CEF Digital fund here.

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