Halo has launched a commercial driver-less ride-hailing car service in Las Vegas, running on the T-Mobile 5G network in the city. 

Halo has operated on the T-Mobile 5G network since it began driving on Las Vegas’ public roads earlier this year. Halo is collaborating with local municipalities to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) to address traffic congestion and carbon emission challenges by connecting public transit systems to on-demand, driverless cars. 

The company expects to begin offering rides to customers later this year with service initially available in urban parts of the Las Vegas Valley. When fully deployed in the city, Halo believes it could replace the need for thousands of private cars in the city.

Halo cars operate through the company’s proprietary RemotePilot technology. Halo trains in-house drivers to remotely operate the driver-less car over T-Mobile’s 5G network. Halo has developed a safe stop mechanism that stops cars immediately if a potential safety hazard or system anomaly is detected. 

Using an Artificial Intelligence algorithm, the car also learns in the background while humans control the vehicle, building a feedback loop to achieve Level 3 capabilities over time.

“Driverless cars! Fuelling this kind of startup innovation is part of why we’ve built the biggest, fastest and most reliable 5G network in the country,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “Innovation and driving change for the better is our DNA at the Un-carrier, and we’ve unleashed a 5G network that will transform industries and change our world for the better. I can’t wait to see what comes next as we work with startups, developers and entrepreneurs like Halo building the next big thing in 5G!”

“Full autonomy is a massive challenge from both a technical and social trust perspective that won’t be solved for years to come,” said Anand Nandakumar, the founder and CEO of Halo. “But Halo has been designed to address these challenges by building automation over time starting with a solution that consumers will feel comfortable using today.”

“For years, Nevada has been a hub for innovation in autonomous vehicles and a leader in this space,” said Justin Jones, Clark County Commissioner of District F and Vice Chair of the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission. “Halo and 5G technology offer an intelligent transition between where we are today and where we want to go in the coming years, giving residents and visitors a better, more energy efficient way to move throughout this great city.”

“Driverless vehicles require a network with high capacity, broad coverage and low latency, making T-Mobile 5G a perfect match for developers such as Halo,” said John Saw, EVP of Advanced & Emerging Technologies at T-Mobile. “There is a lot of work to do on the path to full autonomy, and Halo is taking a unique and intelligent approach to get there.”