Jacksonville, Florida is gearing up to showcase the future of public transport with a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) set to traverse the city’s revitalised waterfront and urban core.
The initiative, part of Jacksonville’s Ultimate Urban Circulator programme, is being realised through a collaboration between T-Mobile and Miller Electric Company.
The project will leverage T-Mobile’s Advanced Network Solutions (ANS) to deploy a 5G private network, providing the essential connectivity for the operation of these cutting-edge autonomous shuttles. The initial phase will cover a 3-mile stretch, linking EverBank Stadium – home to the city’s American football team – with the newly developed waterfront hub.
Craig Bowman, Director of Technology at Miller Electric, said: “5G connectivity provides the highest bandwidth and lowest latency communication between the AVs and the control centre.
“This turnkey solution will enable the vehicles to navigate the streets alongside other vehicle traffic and will ensure the bandwidth we need is available to stream real-time video surveillance and two-way audio and video communications between passengers and employees.”
5G is often pivotal for cities and organisations looking to roll out smart city initiatives, particularly those involving AVs. Traditional solutions such as Wi-Fi have proven inadequate due to their limited range and inability to provide the reliability and scalability required for an autonomous fleet.
T-Mobile’s 5G private network will facilitate highly secure, reliable two-way communications between the shuttles and the command centre. This includes the transmission of real-time telemetry data from onboard sensors, as well as audio and video feeds enabling staff to interact with passengers.
Mishka Dehghan, SVP of Strategy, Product, and Solutions Engineering at T-Mobile Business Group, commented: “5G is the key that will unlock the autonomous vehicle future that science fiction has teased us with for years. Because T-Mobile 5G offers the flexibility to build dynamic solutions like a 5G private network, our customers can actually build the future they envision, not just imagine it.”
The 5G private network infrastructure will be integrated alongside the planned power and fibre solutions supporting the broader waterfront project. This approach allows T-Mobile to deliver the necessary network performance and security for Miller Electric’s AV operations without requiring additional infrastructure.
The autonomous shuttles are slated to begin operations by mid-2025, marking the first of three phases in Jacksonville’s ambitious Ultimate Urban Circulator plan. This initial stage sets the foundation for the future expansion of automated shuttles to connect with adjacent neighbourhoods.
As cities worldwide grapple with the challenges of urban mobility and sustainability, Jacksonville’s autonomous vehicles initiative serves as a prime example of how IoT technologies can revolutionise public transport. The success of this project could pave the way for similar deployments in other urban centres.
(Photo by Lance Asper)
See also: Samsung and KT to deploy private 5G for Smart Naval Port
Want to learn about the IoT from industry leaders? Check out IoT Tech Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Cyber Security & Cloud Expo, AI & Big Data Expo, Intelligent Automation Conference, Edge Computing Expo, and Digital Transformation Week.
Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.
