LG Electronics (LG) says it has begun mass production of its next-generation 5G Release 16 (R16)-based smart telematics solution. The package integrates a communications module and (up to) 12 antennas into a single unit.
LG says it has already commenced deliveries to a premium European automaker, marking the solution’s first deployment in a production vehicle in Europe.
Addressing growing complexity in vehicle connectivity
Conventional vehicle communication systems typically rely on separate physical components: a telematics control unit and an externally mounted shark-fin antenna. Due to the ongoing expansion of vehicle connectivity capabilities, the number of antennas required to support the necessary communication technologies – including Multi- Frequency Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Fifth-generation mobile communications (5G), Wi-Fi and Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) – has steadily risen.
This, according to LG, presents a major challenge for automakers, primarily because of the limited space available for external antennas. In particular, 5G communications need multiple antennas to ensure sufficient performance, but a standard shark fin is restricted in how many antennas it can accommodate. As a result, automakers are often forced to install additional antennas in multiple locations throughout the vehicle, increasing radio frequency (RF) cabling, wiring complexity, vehicle weight and overall cost.
These structural limitations, LG maintains, are especially significant for electric vehicles, where weight directly affects driving range and complex wiring architectures can have a major impact on production efficiency and cost competitiveness.
Advancing telematics through integrated hardware and software
LG says its smart telematics solution addresses these challenges by integrating the communications module and multiple antennas into a single unit. Built on 5G R16 communications technology, the solution has an optimised internal architecture capable of housing up to 12 antennas. This increased capacity helps reduce reliance on externally mounted antennas and cut down on RF cabling. Critically, the solution enables vehicles to maintain strong connectivity performance, while also contributing to improved structural efficiency.
To extend these benefits across a wide range of vehicle configurations, the solution adopts a modular architecture designed to accommodate diverse OEM requirements. Depending on configuration needs, the telematics and antenna boards can be combined or separated – enabling application versatility not only for new vehicle models, but existing vehicle platforms as well.
The solution also incorporates a scalable software platform designed to support deployment across diverse vehicle models. Built on LG’s proprietary Automotive Telematics Platform (ATP), which has been developed and refined over more than a decade, the solution utilizes the same core software across supported applications, requiring only adjustments for chipset-specific interfaces.
This structure increases software reuse, improves development efficiency and strengthens stability and compatibility across global communications environments. LG’s solution has also been designed to support multiple communications chipsets, reducing dependence on any single component and mitigating supply chain risk.
LG’s smart telematics solution is designed to operate reliably, even in demanding high-temperature vehicle environments. Testing using real vehicles has verified the solution’s ability to maintain stable data transmission and reception under extreme conditions, further reinforcing the reliability of in-vehicle communication systems.
SDVs
More than a component-level innovation, LG maintains that its smart telematics solution shifts vehicle communications architecture from a distributed antenna structure to an integrated communications platform. LG aims to establish its solution as core infrastructure for the software-defined vehicle (SDV) era, supporting over-the-air (OTA) updates, V2X and autonomous-driving data transmission.
As vehicle connectivity continues to advance, integrated telematics solutions are expected to play an increasingly important role in future vehicle architectures.
“Our smart telematics solution goes beyond hardware integration to redefine the underlying architecture of vehicle communications,” said Eun Seok-hyun, president of the LG Vehicle Solution Company. “Leveraging its accumulated expertise in communications technologies and software, LG will continue to deliver integrated telematics solutions optimized for the SDV era.”
