Attendees of the recent ETSI summit 'ICT – revolutionising the world of transport' heard how 3G and 4G networks will meet the needs of the transport sector.

Speaking at the conference, Takehiro Nakamura, NTT Docomo, 3GPP RAN Chairman, described how 3GPP Release 10 will include work on Machine Type Communications, which promise to be a major element in Intelligent Transport Systems.

He told delegates that the immediate priority for 3GPP is to provide early specifications for security, overload control, addressing, identification and subscription control.

Speaking on the same LTE Panel, Mike Short of Telefonica Europe O2 told the conference that telecommunication operators are looking closely at the opportunities in connected cars and connected street furniture, anticipating many applications for use in and by the car. The term "Internet on wheels" has been coined and goes part of the way to describe the possibilities.

Dr. Short called for ITS experts to be more present in 3GPP, so that ITS functionality is embodied in the communication standards as early as possible. He called for better co-ordination between standards, telecommunication operators and the transport sector.





The ETSI Press Release is now available online, containing quotes from participants and details of the work being done by the ETSI Intelligent Transport Systems Technical Committee.