Research from Juniper Research reveals that the number of connected vehicles in service will increase by 91 per cent to reach 367 million globally by 2027, with 5G accounting for almost a quarter of cellular connections. This growth is being driven by the advancement of both Adas (advanced driver assistance systems) and the increasing capabilities of in-vehicle infotainment systems, which are enabled by 5G's high speed and low-latency capabilities.

The study identified operators as being key to unlocking new use cases, such as autonomous driving and data-heavy infotainment, representing a $3.6bn opportunity for providing 5G connectivity. Nick Maynard, co-author of the research, noted that 5G can allow automotive OEMs to upgrade the in-vehicle experience and that operators hold a critical role in enabling this in a reliable way.

The research also found that commercial vehicles only account for 20 per cent of connected vehicles worldwide and that their design is yet to leverage connectivity beyond simple emergency call features and basic connected infotainment systems. The research recommended that automotive OEMs prioritize integrations with common fleet tracking systems to maximize the benefits of connectivity.