India’s telecom regulator has begun laying the groundwork for a new layer of connectivity between vehicles. In a consultation paper released on April 30, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India outlined a regulatory framework for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication. It is essentially a system that allows vehicles to exchange real-time information with each other, infrastructure, pedestrians, and networks.
The move is still at a consultation stage, with stakeholder comments invited before any final decision is made. But the direction is clear. India is exploring how telecom networks, vehicles, and public infrastructure can be integrated into a single communication layer to improve safety, reduce congestion, and build what regulators describe as an Intelligent Transport System.
As per the government data, India recorded around 1.73 lakh road fatalities in 2023, with a large share of accidents linked to human error such delayed reactions, poor visibility, and misjudgment of distance. V2X is being positioned as a way to reduce that dependence on human decision-making.
What V2X actually does
At its core, V2X is an interconnected communication framework. It allows vehicles to continuously exchange data about their position, speed, surroundings, and intent. That information is not limited to other cars. It extends to traffic signals, roadside infrastructure, pedestrians carrying connected devices, and cloud-based systems.
The idea is to create what regulators describe as a “cooperative awareness” layer, where every element on the road is aware of what others are doing in real time.
This ecosystem operates across four key layers:
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Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V): Cars communicate with each other to prevent collisions, share braking alerts, and detect blind spots. -
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I): Vehicles interact with traffic lights, toll systems, and road sensors to optimise movement and avoid violations. -
Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P): Alerts are generated when vehicles detect nearby pedestrians or cyclists at risk. -
Vehicle-to-Network (V2N): Vehicles connect to cloud systems over cellular networks for navigation, updates, and traffic intelligence.
Why telecom is central to the V2X system
Some modern cars already use cameras, radar, and LiDAR to interpret their surroundings to some extent, such as in case of parking assistance and proximity detection. But these systems are inherently limited by line-of-sight. They can only detect what is visible. V2X extends that visibility beyond physical constraints by establishing a communication channel between multiple elements on the road.
This is where telecom networks become critical. The technology is increasingly moving toward Cellular V2X (C-V2X) — a standard built on 4G and 5G infrastructure. Unlike older Wi-Fi-based systems such as Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC), C-V2X enables connectivity through mobile networks.
Using cellular-based systems instead of short-range networks allows both direct communication between vehicles and broader network connectivity, along with lower latency and greater range.
How different countries are approaching V2X
While the core idea behind V2X is consistent, the way it is being implemented varies significantly across regions, shaped by a mix of regulatory choices, technology preferences, and industry alignment.
In Europe, the approach has been more fragmented. The region has largely relied on DSRC-based deployments, supported by existing infrastructure and large-scale programmes such as C-ROADS. At the same time, spectrum policy has remained technology-neutral, allowing both DSRC and cellular-based systems to coexist. In practice, however, this has created challenges around interoperability, with different technologies attempting to operate within the same spectrum band.
However, the inclusion of V2X in safety rating systems such as Euro NCAP is driving adoption across vehicles, as automakers increasingly integrate these capabilities to maintain high safety ratings.
China, in contrast, has taken a far more centralised and coordinated approach. The country has aligned early around Cellular V2X (C-V2X), backed by dedicated spectrum allocation and clear government direction. This has allowed the ecosystem to scale rapidly, with multiple automakers committing to mass deployment and integrating V2X into production vehicles.
The United States sits somewhere in between. The market has shifted away from legacy DSRC systems toward C-V2X, supported by spectrum allocation in the 5.9 GHz band and growing regulatory backing. At the same time, deployment has been more incremental, often driven by pilot projects and collaborations between automakers and infrastructure providers.
On the industry front, companies such as Ford, Audi, and several Chinese manufacturers have actively tested and begun deploying C-V2X-enabled vehicles, focusing on use cases such as traffic signal warnings, work-zone alerts, and collision avoidance.
Tesla, however, has taken a different approach. Instead of relying on direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication, it leans heavily on onboard sensors and cloud-based data from its fleet to build a shared understanding of road conditions. While Tesla’s long-term roadmap may include elements of vehicle-to-everything communication, its current systems operate largely independent of the standard V2X frameworks being developed by regulators.
How India is planning to approach V2X
Unlike markets that have already invested in legacy systems, India is starting with a relatively clean slate. This allows it to skip older technologies and move directly toward more advanced implementations.
The government has already indicated a preference for C-V2X as the national standard, aligning with global trends and leveraging existing telecom infrastructure. Spectrum planning is also taking shape. The proposal suggests using the 5.9 GHz band (5875–5925 MHz), with an initial allocation for deployment and additional capacity reserved for future use cases.
Early deployments are likely to focus on vehicle-to-vehicle communication, which requires minimal external infrastructure. This allows immediate safety applications such as collision warnings and emergency alerts.
More advanced use cases, such as interaction with traffic signals, pedestrian systems, and urban infrastructure, will depend on the gradual deployment of roadside units across cities and highways.
What happens next
For now, V2X in India remains a proposal. The consultation process will determine how spectrum is allocated, how infrastructure is deployed, and how different stakeholders, from telecom operators, automakers, to public agencies, fit into the ecosystem.
At the same time, the very fact that the proposal has moved to consultation suggests a shift in how the problem is being framed. The question is no longer whether vehicles should be connected, but how deeply that connectivity should be embedded into the system itself.
If implemented at scale, V2X could extend beyond safety into broader mobility functions — enabling more coordinated traffic movement across cities, real-time route optimisation, tighter integration with emergency services, and more efficient fleet and logistics operations. Over time, it could also lay part of the foundation for more advanced use cases, including autonomous driving systems.
