Vodafone Launches Platform to Improve Road Safety in Europe

Vodafone has launched a new platform designed to connect road users
directly with transport authorities and each other, enabling safety
information, hazard warnings and traffic updates to be shared in real-time
no matter which device or in-vehicle system they are using.

The platform is compatible with all third-party apps and in-vehicle
navigation systems. Vodafone is collaborating with several partners to
bring the technology to road users and plans to launch the platform within
its own Vodafone Automotive apps later this year.

The new platform, called Safer Transport for Europe Platform (STEP), aims
to address the problem of data fragmentation and information silos that
limit the benefits connectivity can bring to road safety. Transport
authorities today are often limited to delivering safety updates through
road infrastructure – motorway gantries, variable-message or matrix signs
and so on – or via a limited number of technologies developed by
independent manufacturers, such as in-vehicle navigation systems.

STEP offers a solution to these challenges. As a cloud-based platform built
on open, industry standards, STEP enables a wide eco-system of participants
– governments, transport authorities, vehicle manufacturers, mobility
service providers and other mobile network operators – to work together to
improve road safety across Europe.

Joakim Reiter, Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone said:
“Improving road safety is still a major challenge for Europe. We believe
that open platforms for faster, more efficient data sharing can play a
significant role in helping prevent the unnecessary fatalities and injuries
happening on our roads each year.”

STEP is designed to be compatible with all map apps and in-vehicle
navigation systems developed by partner organisations, and users will
benefit from free access to the platform and its safety features.

Vinod Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Business said: “This scaled
platform enables the delivery of vital safety information to all road
users, no matter what app or system they rely on. STEP encourages the
collaboration needed between transport authorities, app developers and the
automotive industry to unlock the full value of data and connectivity in
helping make Europe’s roads safer.”

In its initial phase, STEP will be able to facilitate the delivery of
safety messages and targeted updates from road operators on lane closures,
speed restrictions and traffic incidents on the road ahead, across a
variety in-vehicle systems and navigation apps. STEP could also enable
modelling of the road network in real-time using secure, anonymised, and
aggregated vehicle position data. Vodafone’s long-term ambition is to
develop the platform’s safety functionality to include detection warnings
for vulnerable road users – for example, a driver of a large vehicle could
be alerted to nearby cyclists or pedestrians out of view – as well as fleet
management, stolen vehicle tracking and supporting usage-based insurance.

The launch of STEP builds on Vodafone’s successful trials of the UK’s first
‘vehicle-to-everything’ road safety system
,
a cloud-based mobility platform that provides road users with live, highly
localised and targeted updates from road operators on lane closures, speed
restrictions and traffic incidents. Trials at Vodafone’s 5G Mobility Lab at
the Aldenhoven Testing Centre in Germany have also explored how 5G
technology and highly precise location tracking can help improve traffic
safety .

Vodafone is already collaborating with automotive manufacturers, road
operators, transport authorities, tech partners and app developers on
current and future use cases for the Safer Transport for Europe Platform.

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