Satellite-Based Voice Communication Solution
Significantly Reduced Voice Message Size
Seamless Communication Despite Network Changes
LG Electronics has unveiled a new technology that enables voice communication even in areas with poor network connectivity. This allows emergency rescue messages to be sent from inside vehicles in situations such as disasters, natural calamities, or accidents.
On May 15 (local time), LG Electronics gave the first demonstration of its next-generation satellite-based in-vehicle voice communication solution, which is expected to dramatically enhance driver safety, at the 34th General Assembly of the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) currently being held in Paris, France.
This next-generation solution utilizes NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks), which operate outside the atmosphere via satellites and similar means, to enable conversational-level voice communication inside vehicles. LG Electronics is the first to demonstrate voice communication at a level that allows two-way conversation beyond simple short voice transmissions using this technology.
NTN-based communication is considered a key technology for driver safety, as it enables connectivity via non-terrestrial networks even in areas with poor network access, such as deserts and mountainous regions, or in situations where infrastructure is paralyzed due to disasters or natural calamities.
Image cut explaining LG Electronics' next-generation in-vehicle voice communication solution. Photo by LG Electronics
LG Electronics has combined artificial intelligence (AI) voice processing technology with existing NTN-based communication to significantly reduce the size of voice messages. The company has thus introduced a next-generation solution that expands the use of satellite communication services, which are currently limited to emergency text messages due to data capacity constraints, to include voice communication.
This enables voice message transmission speeds to be more than ten times faster. It goes beyond simple voice message sending and receiving, allowing for actual two-way conversation. In an emergency, a passenger in distress can simply press the emergency call button on the vehicle’s internal display to send a voice message and explain the situation to a rescue center equipped with satellite communication devices, without the need for additional operations such as typing text.
LG Electronics has also developed a software platform that identifies the vehicle's real-time location and information, and connects to the appropriate communication network according to changes in network environment. For example, when entering an area where terrestrial networks are unavailable, the system automatically switches to a non-terrestrial network.
At this 5GAA General Assembly, LG Electronics demonstrated uninterrupted voice communication service for the first time by driving a car equipped with next-generation voice communication technology through the streets of Paris, even as the network environment changed. Visitors experienced LG Electronics’ innovative connected mobility by checking voice messages sent via non-terrestrial networks in areas where terrestrial networks were available.
LG Electronics is leading the field of connected technologies, which are key to the transition to Software Defined Vehicles (SDV), including telematics, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication, and in-vehicle (IV) system connectivity. Since entering the telematics market in earnest in 2003, the company has established itself as a trusted partner to global automakers with achievements such as becoming the first in the world to obtain Common Criteria (CC) certification for security and reliability in V2X. According to the company's own estimates based on data from market research firm Strategy Analytics, LG Electronics maintains the number one position in the global telematics market.
LG Electronics has also been a member of the global vehicle communication consortium 5GAA since its inception in 2016, working to research and commercialize future vehicles such as autonomous and connected cars based on 5G technology, and showcasing core technologies for future mobility. More than 110 companies, including major automakers, automotive parts suppliers, telecommunications operators, chipset and communication equipment manufacturers, participate in 5GAA.
Lee Sangyong, Executive Vice President and Head of the VS R&D Lab at LG Electronics' VS Business Division, said, "We will accelerate innovation in connected mobility through next-generation voice communication technology that enables automotive connectivity without restrictions of situation or location."
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