What is Vehicle Collision-Avoidance Tech ? De-licenses Radio Spectrum to Boost Road Safety
The Union government has de-licenced radio spectrum, collision-avoidance systems and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) Techanology to boost road safty across the country under the department of science and technology.
The Government of India has officially de-licensed critical radio spectrum bands used for automotive radar and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication technologies and the initiative will be implemented by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications.
It aims to accelerate the deployment of cutting-edge vehicle collision-avoidance systems by eliminating cumbersome requirements of individual spectrum licenses.
The central government intends to accelerate the deployment of cutting-edge vehicle collision-avoidance systems and effectively transitioning advanced safety features from high-end luxury segments into mass-market vehicles across the country.
The Department of telecommunications (DoT) issued two specific frequency bands liberated by the new framework. The first is the 77–81 GHz band which powers short-range automotive radar systems. These sensors act as the vehicle's eyes by utilizing high-frequency radio waves to continuously gauge the distance, speed, and precise position of surrounding objects.
The hardware serves as the backbone for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) by enabling life-saving automation like Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and forward collision warnings that alert drivers to imminent hazards before they can react.
The 77–81 GHz Band (Automotive Radar and ADAS)
This high-frequency band powers Short-Range Automotive Radar Systems. These radar sensors act as the vehicle's eyes, using radio waves to continuously gauge the distance, speed and exact position of surrounding objects.
It forms the hardware foundation for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) features like Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) automatically applies brakes if a collision is imminent.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) to maintain a safe and dynamic distance from the vehicle ahead. blind-spot monitoring and forward collision warnings alerts the driver to hidden hazards.
The 5.9 GHz Band (Cellular V2X Communication)
Operating in the 5875-5905MH range which is reserved for Intelligent Transport Systems and Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) allows an On-Board Unit (OBU) inside a car to communicate dynamically with external elements.
V2X works through obstacles and adverse weather conditions like vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) for cars that broadcast their speed and braking status to nearby cars.
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) to cars communicate with smart traffic lights, toll booths and roadside sensors to anticipate traffic changes or hidden hazards.
Centre opens radio spectrum to accelerate deployment of vehicle collision-avoidance systems. The initiative catalyzed after the recommendations from the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety. It is the urgent national need to reduce traffic casualties with India recording over 1.77 lakh road fatalities annually across nearly half a million accidents.
India scraps spectrum licensing for autonomous and safety tech to boost road safety by de-licensing reform fundamentally reshaping the Indian automotive ecosystem for all stakeholders involved for global and domestic automakers by ranging from luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz to mass-market giants like Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra.
The removal of red tape allows for the immediate integration of standardized safety technologies without separate spectrum allocations. Global technology suppliers and chipmakers like Bosch. Continental and qualcomm can now mass-produce uniform and cost-efficient components for the Indian market by aligning India’s regulatory framework with established international standards used in the United States and the European Union. The country circumvents the need for cost-intensive and localised hardware development.
The DoT notification mandates that all such automotive devices function on a non-interference, non-protection, and non-exclusive basis, ensuring they operate safely alongside the nation's existing commercial telecom networks which is hailed by prominent industry bodies like the Broadband India Forum (BIF).
Manisha Waldia is a distinguished content strategist with 5 years of experience crafting premium educational content for UPSC and State PCS, with a focus on deep conceptual analysis across Polity, Geography, History, and Environment. She currently brings this expertise to Jagran Josh, where she covers major national and international events, current affairs, and static general knowledge. Over her career, Manisha's specialized insights have led her to curate high-impact materials and serve as a UPSC Mains answer-evaluator for India’s top institutes—including Drishti IAS, Shubhra Ranjan IAS, Study IQ, GS Score, and PWonlyIAS. She has also worked alongside leading NGOs like Oxfam India and Avani Kumaon.
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