Connected transportation is reshaping everything from fleet management and manufacturing supply chains, to ridesharing services. In the near future, every element of the transportation industry will be connected, tracked and measured for efficiency and performance. Connectivity requirements range from mission critical needs like Vehicle-to-Vehicle safety measures to more experiential applications like enhanced navigation, and infotainment for drivers and passengers. To get there will require careful planning and a comprehensive mix of infrastructure solutions.

• Connecting every piece: There’s no doubt that connected vehicles provide better experiences for passengers. But these connections become even more critical as connected, autonomous and remotely controlled vehicles take to the road and will require constant communication and real-time data analysis to navigate their surroundings. A combination of existing network infrastructure and new technology like internet of things (IoT) systems will be needed to bring this interconnected network to life.
• Building centralized systems: Sophisticated transportation systems will require centralized hubs to receive and process data and expand their scope beyond cars and trucks to drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
• Convergence of charging and connectivity: Experts fully expect autonomous vehicles to be electric. With a projected demand of 9.6 million charging ports needed by 2030, there’s an opportunity to create multipurpose solutions and reduce the infrastructure footprint. To deploy many of these systems at scale, connected charging stations will need to be built in places where people congregate—shopping and business districts, parking lots and the public right of way. These stations will help provide two critical purposes: connectivity and power.
• Ensuring safety: A strong network is needed to provide mission critical Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) connectivity, in order to keep drivers and passengers as safe as possible.
• Providing constant connectivity: For these modern transportation systems to be successful, consumers and business leaders need to have confidence that the networks they rely on are always up, without congestion or latency.

As the nation’s largest provider of shared communications infrastructure, we have comprehensive solutions—and existing federal, state and local contract vehicles—to take on the biggest challenges that face the transportation industry.

As the transportation industry evolves, we can help enable better traffic management, safer streets, and more efficient fleet management—both locally and nationwide. Our infrastructure is located throughout the largest markets in the US—often in critical right of way routes along streets and highways. This puts us in a unique position to support every layer of the transportation and shipping industry. We’ll work with you to find the right connectivity, so you can deploy quickly and take advantage of new opportunities.

• Increased efficiency: Connected vehicles provide you with a constant stream of data that you can analyze and use to improve fleet management, routing and traffic management, distribution schedules, and more. For example, a local transportation agency may find that a less-used bus route may be better served by contracting with a ridesharing service—saving money and reducing environmental impact.
• Enhanced experiences: As wireless connectivity improves through 5G deployments and further network densification, there will be an opportunity for better passenger experiences. Real-time, location-specific information helps riders plan better and minimize wait times. And new technologies like augmented reality (AR) can put useful information right in front of them. Once on board, in-vehicle infotainment and targeted advertising keeps riders engaged and opens up new revenue streams for your organization.
• Safer roads: Controlling and automating transportation reduces the opportunities for human error while decreasing the number of people in vehicles—contributing to safer streets and roads. With fewer accidents, and lower traffic congestion, response times for emergency vehicles will also decrease—potentially saving even more lives.

The future of the transportation industry will largely rely on technologies that are just beginning to be deployed. Across the country, our towers, small cells and fiber are already being used to enable the advanced connectivity you’ll need.

• 5G: This new generation of wireless technology will provide the bandwidth you need to transmit high volumes of data wirelessly to and from your connected vehicles.
• Advanced fiber networks: With practically unlimited bandwidth and unmatched speed, fiber will be crucial to the success of 5G networks and small cells that will support these advanced transportation systems.
• Colocation: By strategically placing infrastructure and equipment at existing data center locations and at critical network meet points, you’ll be able to process more data with lower response times.  

Our infrastructure is essential to the successful deployment of these new technologies, as well as other advancements like IoT, AR and more.