Movandi Demonstrates its 5G mmWave Technology for Reliable & Fast Vehicle-to-Everything Communications

author: FutureCar Staff    

Movandi, a developer of 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) technology, announced on Monday a successful demonstration of a new technology that uses mmWave repeaters to support uninterrupted 5G-powered vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. The pilot was conducting in San Jose, CA. 

Movandi was founded in 2016 by Former Broadcom executives and innovators Maryam Rofougaran (co-CEO & COO), and Reza Rofougaran (co-CEO & CTO) and is based in Irvine, CA. The two co-founders are leading wireless inventors with more than 1,000 patents.

The mmWave 5G technology developed by Movandi can help ensure that future connected vehicles, including autonomous capable vehicles, that rely on real-time communications can always receive a strong, uninterrupted signal, especially in urban areas that are prone to drops. Using mmWave repeaters eliminates the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades and also can be used to reroute 5G signals around tall buildings, which is referred to as beamforming. 

The company has demonstrated that its mmWave powered repeaters integrated in vehicles can solve these challenges, enabling continuous ultra-wideband connections in urban areas with 5G access points spaced approximately 1,000 meters apart. 

A single repeater can support multiple mobile phones or modems inside a car and provide a 5G backhaul to the cloud for autonomous vehicles. Movandi says its approach provides an entirely new foundation for 5G-powered devices.

Movandi's BeamXR powered repeaters can provide seamless 5G ultra-wideband coverage for vehicles, whether the car is moving or stationary. The repeaters manage tight coordination with the base station and maintain continuous coverage at highway speeds.

In most typical 5G coverage areas, next-generation Node B (gNB) base stations are often deployed 500 meters apart. However, coverage is also limited to within very close proximity of a gNB, according to Movandi.

In the field of telecommunications, gNB or gNodeB 5G wireless base stations are those which transmit and receive data between the user equipment and a mobile network. 

Movandi's BeamXR powered mmWave repeaters extend continuous coverage and also provide a smooth handoff between gNBs to maintain continuity. By using mmWave repeaters inside cars, 5G connections with 1.5 Gbps data speeds can be achieved with gNBs placed farther apart (1000 meters or more), enabling network operators to lower costs by reducing the number of gNBs deployed along roadways.

"Automotive systems will communicate with each other and with gNB infrastructure, greatly enhancing road safety, improving traffic flow, and enabling autonomous driving. And Movandi technologies can play a crucial role in this 5G transformation," said Moor Insights & Strategy's Principal Analyst Patrick Moorhead.

Movandi's smart repeaters that can be installed about every 1,000 meters. At this distance, the repeaters enable 10x performance gains in range and throughput, making mmWave technology a practical communications method for 5G-connected cars for the first time.

"Through in-vehicle testing of Movandi powered repeaters in real-world conditions, we've proven that our mmWave technology provides a ready to go solution for extending 5G coverage, whether it's fixed or mobile, for a vastly improved user experience. Today we showed our technology is ready for mass scale deployment in connected vehicles," said Maryam Rofougaran, CEO and co-founder of Movandi.

The repeaters boost 5G signal quality and bandwidth, even through windows. According to Movandi, test results showed a 25 times greater throughput improvement over a typical 4G LTE service network. 

A Movandi BeamXR powered mmWave repeater installed in a vehicle enabled greater than 10x performance gains with an average throughput of 1.5 gigabits per second (Gbps) on the faster Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network. The tests were conducted on behalf of an industry partner, the company said. 

Although 5G networks offer ultra-fast connections, just like with slower 4G LTE communications, its still can be interrupted in areas with where the signal is not as strong. But mmWave 5G enables a low latency and high throughput data stream needed to deliver connectivity and services to connected vehicles. 

The technology developed by Movandi is not just for automotive ADAS and infotainment applications. It can also support 5G-powered mobile phones, IoT devices, such as smart home products, connected health devices and smart city infrastructure such as traffic signals and cameras.

Future connected cars that use mmWave radar have the potential to make the roads much safer. However, for C-V2X technology to reach its full potential, the network must be reliable with no loss of signal, especially in dense urban areas where building and other infrastructure can interfere with 5G signals.  

In addition, modern vehicles can generate terabytes of data for cloud-based AI-powered autonomous driving systems, such as perception algorithms that support safe navigation. Much of the data needs to be sent to and from the vehicle so having a reliable and robust 5G-powered network is vital.

"Broader deployment of high-performance, low-latency mmWave technology is a key component to expanding 5G adoption for connected and autonomous vehicles," said Moorhead. "As 5G interfaces displace legacy generations of telematics controls, 5G will spur the introduction of new automotive infotainment services and more data-rich cloud connectivity."

According to research firm Gartner, 5G interfaces in embedded automotive telematics will increase from 0% in 2019 to 51% by 2029. Gartner predicts that the auto industry will drive 5G adoption for the Internet of Things (IoT), reaching almost 180 million connections in connected cars by 2029.

FutureCar Staff