[Photo provided by LG Innotek Co.]

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LG Innotek Co., the electronic materials and component making unit of South Korean conglomerate LG Group, has developed a fifth-generation communication module that can be applied to vehicles, using Qualcomm’s 5G chips for the first time in the world, the company said Wednesday.

The 5G communication module for vehicles refers to a component that enables data transmission between a vehicle and a cellular base station to provide wireless network connection using 5G mobile communication technology. It can be generally mounted inside the vehicle or in communication devices near the roof.

This is touted as the next-generation automotive mobile communication system to enable a vehicle to become fully autonomous, providing it with real-time traffic data, precise location information and vehicle-to-everything communication.

Companies have been in heated competition to develop modules that run on Qualcomm’s SnapdragonTM Automotive 5G Platform, a leading presence in the 5G telecom chip market. LG Innotek said it was able to gain an edge thanks to its proprietary RF circuit design technology, high-precision and density modularized technology, and heat-resistant new materials.

The latest 5G module comes with significantly reduced latency, about one-tenth of that of an LTE module, the company said. If an autonomous car driving at 100 kilometers per hour detects an obstacle, the urgent braking function in a 5G module will start to activate after the vehicle moves 2.8 centimeters, whereas braking in an LTE module will start after it moves 1.4 meters.

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