LG Unveils Hybrid In-Vehicle Emergency Call System That Works Across 2G-5G Networks

LG Electronics on April 23 demonstrated its Hybrid e-Call system at the 37th General Assembly of the 5G Automotive Association in Gothenburg, Sweden. The in-vehicle system is designed to quickly alert rescue centers after a crash by using both high-capacity 4G and 5G networks and wider-coverage 2G and 3G networks. Image shows a vehicle equipped with LG’s Hybrid e-Call sending crash information to a rescue center using networks from 2G to 5G. [Photo=LG Electronics]

LG Electronics has unveiled an in-vehicle “Hybrid e-Call” system designed to quickly send crash information to emergency rescue centers after an accident.

The company said April 26 that it demonstrated the system on April 23 at the 37th General Assembly of the 5G Automotive Association, a global vehicle communications group, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

An e-call system is an in-car emergency communications function that automatically transmits details such as the crash location, time and vehicle information to a nearby rescue center when an accident occurs.

In Europe, e-call systems have been mandatory on newly launched vehicles since 2018. Starting next year, Europe will require “NG e-Call” (Next Generation emergency-Call), a 4G- and 5G-based system. The regulation is expected to expand to regions including China and the Middle East.

LG’s Hybrid e-Call is installed in a vehicle telematics control unit and supports networks from 2G through 5G. The company said it combines the fast, high-capacity data transmission of 4G and 5G with the broader coverage of 2G and 3G to minimize connectivity dead zones.

LG said it has completed reliability verification and has been supplying the system to global automakers since this year.

At last year’s 5GAA general assembly in Paris, LG unveiled a solution using satellite-based non-terrestrial networks, or NTN, to enable two-way in-vehicle communications in areas where terrestrial networks are difficult to access.

The company is also expanding its telematics certification capabilities. LG said its VS Certification Lab, under its Vehicle Solution business division, operates a testing and evaluation system based on the international standard ISO/IEC 17025.

The lab obtained accreditation last year as an authorized testing institution from the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme, or KOLAS, and also secured qualifications for major European and North American communications certifications, including GCF (Global Certification Forum) and PTCRB.

LG said this allows it to handle the full process in-house, from development and testing to conformity certification for vehicle communications components.

“Based on world-class technology, we will further strengthen our leadership in the global telematics market,” said Lee Sang-yong, vice president and head of LG Electronics’ VS Research Laboratory.

* This article has been translated by AI.

SEONGJUN JO