Centre opens radio spectrum to accelerate deployment of vehicle collision-avoidance systems

New Delhi: Govt has de-licenced radio spectrum used for automotive radar and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, paving the way for wider deployment of advanced road-safety technologies and collision-avoidance systems.Department of telecommunications (DoT) has issued two notifications de-licencing the 77-81 GHz band used for automotive radar systems and the 5.9 GHz band used for V2X communications that allow vehicles to communicate with each other and roadside infrastructure.The decision assumes significance as India continues to struggle to reduce road deaths, which was the highest-ever at around 1.8 lakh in 2024, according to govt data.The 77-81 GHz band powers radar sensors used in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, collision warnings and automated parking. The sensors use radio waves to detect the distance, speed and position of nearby objects.On April 27, TOI had first reported that the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety had directed the telecom department for de-licencing the 5.875–5.925 GHz band.The de-licencing aligns India with regulatory frameworks in the US and European Union, enabling automakers to deploy globally standardised hardware instead of developing country-specific versions. This is expected to reduce costs and speed up the rollout of safety technologies by manufacturers.The 5.9 GHz band will support V2X technologies that enable vehicles to exchange real-time information with other vehicles and roadside infrastructure, helping warn drivers about hazards beyond their line of sight, such as sudden braking ahead, blind-curve traffic, foggy conditions or approaching emergency vehicles.