Connectivity between mobile devices is a reality that everyone seems to have assimilated. Our behavior is already conditioned by our relationship with technology, and will be even more so when developments such as 5G or fiber optics reach their peak, thanks to the work of companies, operators and governments. But the benefits of connectivity go beyond the devices we carry in our pockets. Areas as transversal as the transport of people and goods may change the way we perceive mobility forever.

A few years ago, experts were already talking about the possibilities of mobile connectivity and the benefits of 5G in “connected roads”. But it was still perceived in the collective imagination as an almost science fiction scenario. However, this scenario is already a reality: in Spain, on the A-6 at Cereixal (province of Lugo), the road network already has a tunnel equipped with 5G along its entire route. This is the first step of many to come, transforming our lives through connectivity.

Assistance on the road in real time thanks to 5G connectivity

This improvement in the highway network, which has established its first initiative in Lugo, points the way to the future of intelligent roads. From now on, drivers will be able to receive real-time information, thanks to 5G connectivity, about traffic conditions, slow traffic, accidents and traffic jams, weather warnings and adverse conditions, conflictive or dangerous areas, etc.

This initiative is part of the project Pilot 5G Galicia, which is promoted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation through ‘Red.es’, and whose objective is to advance in the process of the digitalization of roads. According to statements by officials of the Ministry, the forecast is that this initiative is the first of other similar ones in other parts of the country, with connectivity actions in increasingly extensive stretches.

The future of smart roads: 5G is just the beginning

While it is true that drivers can already enjoy the benefits of on-road connectivity, the impact of 5G on real-time data transmission is only one facet of a more complex picture. And with many more applications, all of them totally transformative. Although the development of autonomous driving is proceeding slowly, mainly for safety reasons, there will come a time when it too will be commonplace.

Then vehicles will not only “drive themselves”. They will also have enough technology and artificial intelligence to interact with the intelligent road. At present, thanks to 5G, one-way information is transmitted to drivers on connected stretches. In the future, vehicles will be able to “talk” with the road and modify their behavior based on the information received: they will be able to slow down, without human intervention, on congested stretches or estimate and take alternative routes in the event of complications.

In the more distant future —let’s be realistic— the development of new materials will also complete the work that is already emerging with 5G. Roads will be built with technology as a priority. Signage will be able to be integrated both in the road itself and in vehicle windshields, something that already happens but in a minority of cases. Both vertical and horizontal signs will change dynamically based on real-time traffic and weather information. Practically kilometer by kilometer.

The pilot initiative launched at Cereixal is the unmistakable indication that assisted driving is getting closer every day in Spain. This will be reflected not only in more comfortable transportation, but also in safer roads and fewer accidents.