Signing of a Technology Demonstration Agreement for Real-Time HD Map Updates
1,700 Seoul public transportation vehicles to be equipped with 5G-based ADAS.
ADAS collects traffic data, analyzes it with AI, and updates it with 5G.

SK Telecom and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are evolving Seoul city buses and taxis into 5G-based public transportation.

SK Telecom B2B Business Division Director Choi Il-gyu and Seoul Metropolitan Government Urban Transportation Division Director Koh Hong-seok signed an agreement on the ‘Development and Verification of Precision Road Map Technology for the Autonomous Driving Era’ at the SK Telecom building in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul on the 23rd.

The two sides agreed to cooperate in developing real-time HD map update technology for the next-generation intelligent transportation system (C-ITS) demonstration project section by equipping 1,700 city buses and taxis with 5G ADAS. Based on this, we plan to develop road facility management systems and traffic safety services.

The C-ITS project is a project to build core infrastructure necessary for the future transportation era, such as autonomous driving and connected cars, including 5G networks and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, on major roads in Seoul. SK Telecom won the contract for the C-ITS project in January and is currently building 5G infrastructure.

HD map (high-definition map) is a high-precision map that provides all spatial information, such as lane information, road slope, speed limit, and road surface conditions, with centimeter-level accuracy, and is a representative core infrastructure for autonomous driving.

With this agreement, Seoul will become the first city in the world to implement 5G technology in public transportation. Overseas, Singapore is expected to introduce 5G-based buses featuring autonomous driving technology, including city buses, as early as 2020.


1,700 Seoul city buses and taxis to be equipped with 5G ADAS.
Starting in the second half of the year, 1,700 buses and taxis equipped with 5G ADAS will operate on regular roads in Seoul, rather than autonomous driving test sites. SK Telecom and the Seoul Metropolitan Government will initially install 5G ADAS on 1,600 buses and 100 regular taxis along the 121.4km C-ITS test section, which encompasses major roads in Seoul, including Sejong-daero, Gangnam-daero, Namsan Tunnels 1 and 2, and Sinchon-ro. The two parties plan to expand the ADAS installation to 5,000 vehicles in the future, updating road traffic information throughout Seoul.

5G ADAS is a system that helps drivers drive safely by providing features such as lane departure warning and forward collision prevention. According to an analysis by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTBS), vehicles equipped with ADAS can prevent 93.7% of fatal accidents, allowing citizens to use public transportation more safely.

Furthermore, buses equipped with 5G ADAS are expected to operate more efficiently and quickly than before, as they will enable two-way communication between vehicles and objects (Vehicle to Everything (V2X)). While existing city buses only provide location information using GPS, buses equipped with 5G ADAS will be able to communicate with various elements on the road, including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.

To this end, SK Telecom plans to complete the construction of 5G infrastructure optimized for autonomous driving across all C-ITS sections by the second half of the year.


Road traffic information collected by ADAS, analyzed by AI, and updated in real time via 5G.
The two sides plan to utilize road traffic information collected by 1,700 buses and taxis, utilizing 5G, AI, cloud, and big data technologies, to ▲develop ultra-precision navigation, ▲automate management of road and other traffic facilities, ▲analyze traffic information big data, and ▲enhance C-ITS.

First, a vast amount of road traffic data, categorized into 124 categories, including signs, road markings, construction information, and potholes, will be collected by the 5G ADAS vision sensors. This information will be analyzed by AI and reflected in real-time on HD maps via the 5G network.

A vision sensor is a sensor that collects and processes visual information, such as the size and shape of objects around a moving vehicle.

Real-time update technology significantly reduces the cost and time required to update HD maps. Until now, HD map construction and updates have been carried out only with dedicated vehicles, making it difficult to immediately update changes in spatial information.


Opening autonomous driving infrastructure to foster a collaborative industry-academia-research and autonomous driving ecosystem.
SK Telecom and the Seoul Metropolitan Government will collaborate to foster an autonomous driving ecosystem by opening up autonomous driving infrastructure, including data collected through 5G ADAS and HD maps, to relevant industries. SK Telecom will utilize the data to develop and enhance HD map technology, while the Seoul Metropolitan Government, in consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, plans to distribute the information to autonomous driving venture companies, academia, and other relevant organizations.

SK Telecom B2B Business Division Head Choi Il-kyu said, “Connected cars generate a huge amount of data, so a 5G network that enables ultra-high speed, ultra-low latency, and hyper-connectivity is essential,” and added, “SK Telecom will combine 5G and ADAS to make Seoul a ‘5G mobility hub.’”

Koh Hong-seok, head of Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Transportation Bureau, said, “Real-time HD map update technology is the cornerstone of new industries such as smart mobility that we have never experienced before,” and added, “We will strengthen cooperation with SKT to prepare for Seoul to become a leading global city in the era of future transportation.”