A continuation of the METIS project, METIS-II is an international project funded by the European Commission under Horizon2020 to research the efficient integration and use of various 5G technologies and components. Among its end goals is to optimize the performance and interconnection of in-vehicle mobile communications systems and, by doing so, contribute to improved road safety and lower traffic accident rates (though this is just one of many possible 5G applications).

The main novelty [of the new system] is that is allows the continual adjustment of waveforms in such a way that vehicles can communicate with each other, thereby overcoming the hurdle of not having a set station for communication.

—José F. Montserrat, project researcher at the UPV’s Institute of Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications

The system includes three programmable cards, each of which has a high-performance FPGA (field-programmable gate array) to integrate different waveforms, which are what carry data through the air, and four antennas. These cards will allow direct communication between vehicles, as well as the integration of inter-vehicular communications into conventional mobile communication systems.