Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC)

In North America, 5.9 GHz Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) systems are being developed to support a wide range of public-safety and private operations in roadside-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-vehicle environments for the transportation industry. DSRC has several key benefits: It complements cellular communications, where time-critical responses (less than 50 ms) or very high data transfer rates (6-54 Mbps) are required in small zones with license-protected authority, and it enables a new class of communications applications that can support future transportation systems and needs.

Since 1995, ARINC has been intimately involved in standards and technology development for DSRC. In fact, ARINC has more experience testing potential 5.9 GHz DSRC systems than any other company.

For example, ARINC wrote the first definitive reports on DSRC spectrum requirements in 1996, which formed the basis for the 5.9 GHz spectrum petition to the FCC. We also chaired the writing group that documented the first nationwide physical layer 902-928 MHz band DSRC standard released in 1998. ARINC subsequently participated in standards committees that produced the media-access control layer standard, application-layer standard, and resource-manager application standard.

ARINC performed many sets of high-speed vehicle communication tests to verify the ability of candidate DSRC techniques to meet the requirements of the developing 5.9 GHz band standards. We also produced much of the material on the 5.9 GHz DSRC web site, including the tutorial and application examples.

Currently, ARINC is chairing the 5.9 GHz band DSRC Architecture Standard writing group and the Physical and Medium Access Control Standard writing group. We're coordinating the ASTM technical interface to the FCC on DSRC spectrum and usage rule issues. And, we continue to participate in ASTM and IEEE standards committees, as well as ISO TC204 WG 15 and WG 16 committees working on short-, medium-, and long-range, cellular, 5.9 GHz, 60 GHz, and IR vehicle communication integration issues.

If you have a communication requirement that could benefit from the characteristics of the new DSRC service and need sound advice, call ARINC.