DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communications) is a wireless communication technology that enables vehicles to communicate with each other and other road users directly, without involving cellular or other infrastructure. Each vehicle sends 10 times per second its location, heading and speed in a secure and anonymous manner. All surrounding vehicles receive the message, and each estimates the risk imposed by the transmitting vehicle. Risks are defined as “safety applications” such as Left Turn Assistance (LTA), Intersection Movement Assistance (IMA) and many others.

DSRC was designed for maximal cybersecurity. The receiving vehicle validates the authenticity of the received messages. The messages aren’t linkable to the vehicle, don’t expose its identity and therefore don’t violate the driver privacy.

A dedicated spectrum of 75MHz in the 5.9 GHz band, was allocated for Intelligent Transportations Systems (ITS), specifically for DSRC technology.

DSRC technology has been standardized, implemented and thoroughly tested for V2X applications for more than a decade. Products are ready, and a large DSRC ecosystem providers a full suite of interoperable solutions.

Key advantage of DSRC is to “see around corners” (Non-Line-Of-Sight) as no other sensor is able to. It is optimized for high mobility even in presence of obstructions, handling fast-changing environment at speeds as high as 500 km/h. It has been shown a range over 1km is routinely achievable.

DSRC provides a key foundation for V2V and V2I safety by enabling connectivity between road users that have, until now, never been linked in large scale. DSRC can ensure a common interoperable safety standard for vehicles, regardless of size, make and model, to help avoid crashes, optimize traffic flow, and reduce congestion.

Learn more about DSRC and the differences between it and C-V2X!