Global MEC supporting automotive services: from multi -operator live trials to standardization

The automotive domain is a critical area for the introduction of MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) infrastructure in 5G systems, since it can benefit from moving cloud computing capabilities and IT service environments to the edge of the network. However, it brings several challenges, especially the need for easy data exchange in multi-operator environments. This paper describes the first known development of edge federation/roaming for a vehicular use case. This has been carried out through a MEC live trial by several international players, including network operators, neutral hosts, car manufacturers, infrastructure vendors and technology providers. It also describes the role of standards, in particular 3GPP, ETSI MEC and GSMA's OPG (Operator Platform Group) for enabling inter-working between operators and car makers to provide global MEC support for automotive services. Trials and standards can energize the deployment of 5G and so advance the benefits of MEC for end users.