Building Cloud-Based Autonomous Driving Integrated Control Platform
Early Realization of 5G V2X, Completing Driverless Autonomous Driving

KT and Unmanned Solution are participating in Sejong City's autonomous shuttle project to commercialize fully autonomous driving at Level 4.

On the 25th, KT announced its participation with autonomous driving specialist Unmanned Solution in the 'citizen-friendly urban park autonomous driving service' demonstration project in Sejong City, which has been designated as a regulatory free special zone for autonomous driving.

The Sejong City urban park autonomous driving project is the first domestic project to introduce a fully autonomous shuttle with no driver's seat based on 5G autonomous cooperative driving.

KT and Unmanned Solution will complete the construction of a dedicated autonomous driving road in the 1.3km section of Sejong Central Park (Complex Sports Facility-Family Leisure Forest-Family Art Forest-Urban Festival Plaza) by the end of this year, and will operate fully autonomous shuttles at Level 4 from 2020.

The autonomous shuttle WITH:US to be deployed in the project is a 6-passenger fully autonomous electric vehicle manufactured using pure domestic technology by Unmanned Solution and circulates the autonomous driving road section of Central Park.

Based on its expertise in constructing the most domestic autonomous driving demonstration sites including Jeju C-ITS (Next-generation Intelligent Transport System), Pangyo Zero City, and Daegu Technopolis, KT aims to create an optimal autonomous driving environment.

To this end, KT plans to implement safe autonomous driving by establishing ▲5G V2X (Vehicle to Everything) ▲dynamic maps ▲autonomous driving integrated control platform, and more.

KT unveiled a cloud-based autonomous driving control platform in SaaS (Software as a Service) format in this demonstration project.

SaaS is a remote control system provided through KT's autonomous driving integrated control website, and is a platform that can manage not only the status of autonomous vehicles but also driving and sensing data in real-time through internet access.

Even if an emergency occurs in the vehicle, the control center can remotely identify the cause and immediately issue control commands. In addition, since there is no need to install a physical control center, KT expects to minimize economic costs for installation, service enhancement, and maintenance.

5G V2X is an inter-device communication technology that can exchange all information between vehicles, between vehicles and road infrastructure, and between vehicles and pedestrians through a 5G network. To supplement the limitations of autonomous driving that relies solely on vehicle sensors such as cameras, radar, and lidar, V2X-based autonomous cooperative driving has become an important concept in recent times.

Real-time updated dynamic maps and all traffic data collected through infrastructure such as CCTVs and pedestrian detectors installed on autonomous driving road sections are provided to vehicles through the integrated control platform, thereby enhancing the stability of autonomous cooperative driving.

KT Connected Car Business Center Director Executive Vice President Choi Kang-rim stated, "The Sejong City autonomous driving demonstration project will serve as a foundation not only for improving the safety of autonomous driving services but also for establishing related regulations," and added, "In line with the government's future vehicle strategy, we plan to continue cooperating with the government and local governments to achieve early commercialization of fully autonomous driving."

Meanwhile, the government designated Sejong City as a regulatory free special zone in the autonomous driving sector last July to promote regulatory innovation related to autonomous driving, one of the eight leading fields of innovative growth.

Based on regulatory exemptions regarding the Road Traffic Act, Passenger Vehicle Transport Business Act, and others, Sejong City plans to advance the urban park autonomous shuttle project as a public transportation model and verify its potential by applying it to the Smart City national pilot project.

After successfully completing Sejong City's autonomous driving project, KT and Unmanned Solution plan to explore new mobility industry development including autonomous driving services and the sharing economy.