Vodafone’s STEP platform accelerates Europe’s road safety with real-time simulations and connectivity innovations

Vodafone unveils its Safer Transport for Europe Platform (STEP), integrating real-time simulation and high-precision technology to foster safer roads through collaborative data sharing and innovative vehicle connectivity solutions.

Vodafone’s Safer Transport for Europe Platform (STEP) is being presented as a practical route to safer roads across the continent, and the company has enlisted real‑time simulation tools to demonstrate how the system could operate in live conditions. According to Vodafone, STEP is intended to knit together data from a wide range of road users and authorities so that hazard warnings and traffic alerts can be distributed more quickly and consistently than through traditional roadside signage or isolated in‑vehicle systems. (Sources: Vodafone reporting and Vodafone UK coverage.)

At its core STEP is a cloud‑based information exchange that uses Vehicle‑to‑Everything protocols to share safety messages between vehicles, vulnerable road users and transport infrastructure. The platform is designed to feed those messages into any compatible mapping or in‑dash navigation app, helping to reduce the fragmentation of mobility data that can leave drivers and pedestrians uninformed. According to Vodafone’s earlier announcements, the system supports third‑party map applications and different in‑vehicle systems to maximise reach. (Sources: Vodafone announcements; Vodafone UK newscentre.)

Vodafone says STEP leverages cellular connectivity, 5G, edge computing and high‑precision satellite positioning to drive low‑latency information flows. Trials on public roads and in controlled test centres have been used to validate the approach: Berlin trials demonstrated sub‑10 millisecond message exchange across pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles using multi‑edge computing, while experiments at the Aldenhoven testing facility explored 5G positioning and other safety features. Vodafone has also developed complementary high‑precision satellite location techniques to enable communications where line of sight is not available. (Sources: Vodafone Berlin trials; Vodafone Tech Innovation reporting; Vodafone high‑precision satellite technology.)

Faced with a tight timetable ahead of the Mobile World Congress 2024, Vodafone commissioned a realtime simulator to visualize STEP’s operation and allow industry delegates to see complex traffic scenarios in a safe, controllable environment. The simulation work was developed on a commercial game engine to recreate dynamic traffic interactions and present how STEP messages would be delivered to diverse endpoints, enabling demonstrations without exposing people to real‑world risk. (Sources: Vodafone announcements; Berlin trials.)

Beyond live demonstrations, Vodafone has been extending STEP into operational use cases. The platform has been upgraded to support cooperative features such as remote vehicle control and platooning experiments, developed at Vodafone innovation centres and tested at Aldenhoven to explore convoy‑style driving and reduced collision risk. More recently, STEP was integrated with the Netherlands’ Urban Data Access Platform, allowing emergency services to broadcast alerts to connected drivers and authorities to improve response times and create safer passage for approaching ambulances. Vodafone says such integrations use anonymised location data shared among vehicle makers and service providers. (Sources: Vodafone platform upgrade reporting; Vodafone Netherlands UDAP integration.)

Vodafone describes STEP as a collaborative framework that requires participation from road operators, vehicle manufacturers, app developers and mobile network operators to unlock its full potential. Vinod Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of the Vodafone Business unit, said: “This scaled platform enables the delivery of vital safety information to all road users, no matter what app or system they rely on. STEP encourages the collaboration needed between transport authorities, app developers and the automotive industry to unlock the full value of data and connectivity in helping make Europe’s roads safer.” The company continues to pursue partnerships and product integrations intended to broaden STEP’s footprint and turn trials into operational services. (Sources: Vodafone announcements; Netherlands integration; high‑precision positioning.)

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Source: Noah Wire Services