Ypsilanti Township’s American Center for Mobility Extends Collaboration with AT&T, to Add 5G

The American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township and Dallas-based AT&T are extending their collaboration in an effort to speed development of connected and automated vehicle technologies. Their agreement will continue through 2023 and add a 5G Sub-6Ghz network for advanced research and testing capabilities.
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American Center for Mobility
The American Center for Mobility and AT&T have extended their contract to 2023 and will soon introduce 5G to the campus. // File photo

The American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township and Dallas-based AT&T are extending their collaboration in an effort to speed development of connected and automated vehicle technologies. Their agreement will continue through 2023 and add a 5G Sub-6Ghz network for advanced research and testing capabilities.

“We’re proud of the strides we’ve made at Willow Run with AT&T’s support,” says Mark Chaput, interim CEO of the center. “Our groundbreaking progress on the support of vehicle-to-everything technologies is made possible in large part to the strength and security of AT&T’s network. We look forward to three more years collaborating rapid and safe development of these life-saving technologies.”

AT&T is the center’s founding network provider, offering services since 2017. It has worked with the center to build out a private 4G/LTE cellular network covering the test environment at the 500-acre proving ground where automated vehicle technologies are tested, validated, and developed. 5G will provide improved speeds and reduced latency (the delay before data transfers) to provide support services for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-everything communication technologies.

“Our work with ACM is setting the standard for how cross-industry collaboration and public-private partnerships are helping lay the groundwork for a safer, scalable, and cost-effective driverless future,” says Chris Penrose, senior vice president of advanced solutions for AT&T. “Together, we are paving the way for innovations that will change how we think about driving.”

The center is a smart city test area and is a not-for-profit collaborative effort comprised of government, industry, and academic organizations focused on accelerating the mobility industry through research, testing, standards, and educational programs.