Taiwanese company Z-Com is showing a 5G smart transportation system at this week’s Smart City Summit & Expo in Taipei.

The showcase is highlighting 5G-driven intelligent transportation technology as part of an industry development programme sponsored by the Ministry of Transportation & Communication (MOTC). The focus is on the Danhai Light Rail project.

To accelerate the digital transformation in transportation, MOTC initiated a five-year plan in 2021, investing over NT$300m to propel various ITC companies in developing 5G smart transportation and innovative applications. In alignment with the government initiative, Z-Com collaborated with partners in 2023, leveraging communications to enhance the service efficiency of the Danhai Light Rail operated by New Taipei Metro (www.ntmetro.com.tw).

Leveraging the low latency and high-speed capabilities of 5G integrated with Wifi 6 technology, Z-Com’s technology can improve transmission efficiency for Danhai Light Rail (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danhai_light_rail), resulting in an enhanced average train speed.

The project seamlessly integrates various IoT devices and sensors, using Z-Com’s AI and ML technology to monitor the temperature of pantographs and cables on trains, as well as traffic signals and foreign object detection at intersections. This real-time information benefits train drivers and control centres, leading to improved operational efficiency, reduced cost and enhanced security.

Z-Com integrated AI-generated cyber-security firewalls in both the gateway and zMEC (www.zcom.com.tw/index/zone?class_id=91) at the edge, automatically learning the network behaviour of zMEC containers to establish a robust security protection mechanism.

Harnessing the characteristics of high bandwidth and low latency of 5G NR and Wifi 6, the project integrates wireless and wired network nodes, providing intelligent management to increase transmission efficiency. A visual approach suggests speeds to the train driver, aiding the effective management for the control centre. A bidirectional security anomaly visualisation system improves the security schemes.

Z-Com hopes its project will become a paradigm for the successful integration of light rail traffic and urban traffic control, offering a model for other cities to enhance operational efficiency while prioritising safety, reducing travel time and elevating the quality of services for increased passenger satisfaction.

Z-Com (www.zcom.com.tw) is a heterogeneous network innovator with a focus on 5G, wifi, IoT, and AI. It is on stand Q433 at this week’s Smart City Summit (en.smartcity.org.tw).