Consortium Awarded Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Project for V2X Communication Infrastructure to Support Autonomous Driving

Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. has been commissioned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) to undertake the "Technical Study on V2X Communication Systems for Realizing Communication Infrastructure to Support the Social Implementation of Autonomous Driving" as part of the FY2026 Frequency Shortage Countermeasure Technology Testing Operations.

In this project, Mitsubishi Research Institute, together with MRI Research Associates Inc., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., KDDI Corporation, Smart Mobility Infrastructure Technology Research Association, TIER IV, Inc., T2 Inc., and NEC Corporation, will promote technical demonstrations of V2X communications (700MHz band V2X, 5.9GHz band V2X, and 4G/5G) on general roads and expressways, as well as comprehensive studies and coordination toward the social implementation of V2X communications.

The government's "3rd Basic Plan on Transport Policy" (approved by the Cabinet in January 2026) set a new target to expand Level 4 autonomous driving vehicles, such as buses, taxis, and trucks, to 10,000 units by FY2030. Key to achieving this is the utilization of V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication. V2X includes dedicated 700MHz and 5.9GHz communications suitable for localized, highly immediate safety support, and 4G/5G cellular networks advantageous for wide-area use cases like remote monitoring.

The project will systematically organize the scenarios and requirements for these three methods so they can complement each other. On general roads, tests using autonomous buses (Level 4 equivalent) will verify collision avoidance using dedicated communications and simultaneous remote monitoring via 4G/5G. Expressway tests will verify multi-vehicle remote monitoring via cellular networks. Furthermore, to introduce 5.9GHz V2X, the consortium will formulate technical sharing conditions to prevent interference with existing wireless systems like ETC.

Regarding each company's role, Mitsubishi Research Institute and MRI Research Associates will lead overall coordination and project planning. Oki Electric Industry will conduct technical verification of ITS infrastructure. KDDI will handle communication requirements for 4G/5G remote monitoring. The Smart Mobility Infrastructure Technology Research Association will coordinate 700MHz V2X verification, while TIER IV supports establishing the communication base on general roads, collectively aiming for early realization of the essential autonomous driving infrastructure.