Signed exclusive production agreement with Coda and V2X modules, production with domestic companies imminent
Executives from headquarters and the Asia-Pacific region visited Korea to support domestic business.

V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication technology, one of the key foundational technologies for autonomous vehicles, is advancing rapidly.

V2X is a system that supports safe driving, including driving situation awareness, traffic signal recognition, and real-time traffic information in urban areas and on highways. In major advanced countries, technology development is actively underway with national support.

Adrian Tan, President of the Asia Pacific region (from left), who visited Korea to support domestic business, Herbert Blaser, Vice President of Product at the Swiss headquarters, and Kim Soo-han, Country Manager of u-blox Korea, are introducing new products.

Meanwhile, u-blox, a specialist in wireless and positioning modules and chips, has recently announced that it has signed a partnership with Australia's Cohda Wireless, the world's leading device company in the next-generation intelligent transport system (C-ITS) market, to exclusively produce V2X modules, drawing attention from the industry.

V2X module operates at a range of up to 1,000 meters in a car traveling at 250 km/h.

At the press conference held in Korea on the 7th, many reporters gathered and showed great interest in the V2X solution, perhaps due to the high interest in autonomous vehicles. It appeared.

Journalists' attention is focused on a few key issues: the timing of autonomous vehicles' realization, the technological level of V2X that supports them, and the security of these systems.

Herbert Blazer, Vice President: "u-blox has key technologies in the automotive sector."

u-blox's THEO-P1 automotive transceiver module supports both on-board units (OBUs) and roadside infrastructure (RSUs). Based on 5.6 GHz wireless, two-way, short-range wireless technology, it is designed to operate at speeds of up to 250 km/h and at ranges of up to 1,000 meters. Cohda Wireless will provide MK5 OBU and MK5 RSU products for V2X trials and low- to mid-scale V2X deployments, which will subsequently be migrated to THEO-P1.

“Through our collaboration with Cohda, a leader in autonomous vehicle system software, all future products will be sold by u-blox,” said Kim Soo-han, CEO of u-blox Korea.

The meeting that day attracted attention as it was attended by CEO Kim Soo-han, President of the Asia Pacific region (Adrian Tan), and Vice President of Product at the Swiss headquarters (Herbert Blaser) to promote the Korean business of the recently launched short-range wireless communication module series, 'ELLA-W1' and 'EMMY-W1'.

'ELLA-W1' and 'EMMY-W1' released by u-blox are multi-radio modules that implement short-range wireless communication. It is a communication module that mainly wirelessly connects devices such as hotspots, rear-view cameras, hands-free phone calls, rear-seat entertainment devices, and car diagnostics inside the car.

The ELLA-W1 and EMMY-W1 are host-based modules that integrate Wi-Fi 802.11ac/a/b/g/n and dual-mode Bluetooth v4.1 (Bluetooth Smart Ready), and provide Near Field Communication (NFC) pairing.

“u-blox is a company with core technologies in automotive infotainment headset head units,” said Herbert Blaser, Vice President. “We also have leading technologies in car-to-car communications.”

CEO Kim Soo-han: " We are negotiating with domestic companies to produce V2X modules and chips."

Adrian Tan, President and CEO of u-blox Asia Pacific, said, “The development of next-generation Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) utilizing V2X systems is being carried out as a national-led project that requires the simultaneous construction of various infrastructures. “u-blox has a comprehensive product line that is essential for the future development of the automotive industry, including autonomous driving,” he said.

Vice President Herbert and Adrian Tan, President of the Asia Pacific region, said that during this visit to Korea, they will meet with domestic automobile and electrical equipment companies and discuss domestic supply of short-range wireless communication modules and V2X product groups.

In particular, u-blox's V2X modules and chips are undergoing testing with domestic Tier 1 automakers and suppliers, and some models are nearing production, suggesting that its domestic business is picking up speed.

Previously, u-blox had stated that it was also conducting business with LG Electronics' VC division, although it could not disclose the details.

CEO Kim Soo-han said, “u-blox’s GPS solutions are strong in the industrial and consumer sectors, including many wearable products for child prevention in China and Korea, but they are also strong in the automotive sector, as they are the world’s number one GPS solution for vehicles,” and emphasized, “We plan to further strengthen our automotive sector in the future.”