Vodafone Group predicted heightened road safety along with swifter and more effective emergency service response levels in the Netherlands, where a national data service for road authorities is being combined with its vehicle connectivity platform.
The Vodafone Safer Transport for Europe Platform (STEP) is now connected to the Urban Data Access Platform (UDAP) to alert drivers when an emergency service vehicle is approaching.
Vodafone stated UDAP is used by 25 per cent of drivers in the Netherlands through smartphone apps or devices embedded in their vehicles. All ambulances in the nation are also connected.
All data exchanged on UDAP is anonymised. The service is run for the government by smart mobility service provider Monotch.
Luke Ibbetson, head of R&D and Strategy at Vodafone, argued its pan-European networks are well-suited to providing services which boost road safety across the continent.
Vodafone launched STEP in 2022, employing vehicle-to-everything technology to provide warnings of hazards and traffic updates. The system is device and vehicle-system agnostic.
The operator stated marrying STEP with systems including UDAP will contribute to efforts to cut emergency service response times along with laying foundations for “the future of intelligent transportation”.
Information from Monotch explains its system provides a two-way data exchange between “roadside systems, service providers”, vehicle manufacturers and road users, offering a range of potential uses depending on individual transport authority requirements.