Smart Pedestrian Signals and the autonomous 5G Sofia-Thessaloniki corridor

Bulgaria and Greece are building autonomous mobility in the region. By 2025, 5G communication equipment will be installed along the Sofia-Thessaloniki road to make it easier for the population to use autonomous vehicles. The project will enable tracking trucks and testing in real conditions of autonomous vehicles moving along a designated route without a driver. Half of the €11 million investment in the Sofia-Thessaloniki 5G corridor is funded by the European Union. At the same time, the rest comes from private investments by the Bulgarian and Greek mobile operators. The Bulgarian government plans to develop similar digital corridors along the main roads to Romania and Turkey.

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will purchase an artificial intelligence system by 2031 to analyse traffic data, reduce congestion, predict road and bridge maintenance, and plan public transport routes and overall traffic in the city. In addition, by 2024, 28 points of the Smart Pedestrian Signals system will be operational in Dubai, increasing the safety of pedestrians and drivers.

Autonomous vehicles – connected thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning systems – are transforming transportation by providing a seamless and personalised customer experience. System and software upgrades make vehicles more innovative, operationally more efficient, and driving experiences better. As a result, the future of mobility will be a digital ecosystem where digital services, connectivity and data will be combined into an end-to-end architecture.