#UrbanMobility

Drive into the future with Nokia’s Network as Code, Elisa and Elmo cars

Original post by Shkumbin Hamiti from Nokia blog.

In “Back to the Future,” Doc Brown famously said, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” While we haven’t quite reached that level of futuristic travel yet, a groundbreaking proof of concept (PoC) took place in late spring 2024. A car was remotely driven through the public streets of Espoo at Nokia Headquarters, Finland, and during the Imagine Metaverse expo in Tampere.

This successful PoC was the result of a collaboration between Elmo Cars, a pioneer in remote driving technology and the holder of the title for the world’s first road-legal teledrivable cars in car-sharing services since 2022, and telecommunication leaders Elisa and Nokia.

How does this remarkable technology work? Priit Haljak, co-founder and CTO of Elmo, explains: “Elmo develops teledriving technology by equipping cars with multiple cameras and a custom controller for remote driving. With two years of experience in heavy traffic worldwide, our technology is mature. We are proud to be working with global players like Nokia and Elisa.”

Navigating crowded areas presents significant challenges. Network issues and peak time overload can degrade video quality, making it difficult for remote drivers to clearly see the road, surroundings, and traffic signals, thus ensuring the highest safety.

To overcome this challenge, Elmo integrated Nokia’s Quality of Service on Demand (QoD) capability from the Network as Code platform. This capability dynamically adjusts the network to ensure connectivity for Elmo cars, guaranteeing that even during periods of high network traffic, the cars receive the high-quality video feed necessary for safe operation. Juha Saarinen, Technological Manager at Elisa, comments on Elisa’s role in today’s Proof of Concept: “For Elisa, collaboration with partners like Elmo and Nokia is fundamental, especially when it comes to proving the true value of the latest 5G technologies.”

The PoC demonstrated real-time integration and immediate improvements in video quality during network congestion. Network as Code also enables critical device status and network insights, offering valuable information about device connectivity and potential network issues.

Additionally, Nokia’s Network as Code (NaC) serves as an aggregator, allowing for the seamless management of connections through a single interface, regardless of the network provider or country.

Want to know more? Check out this video!

Experience the future of programmable networks with Nokia’s Network as Code. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

About Shkumbin Hamiti

Shkumbin is a twenty-five-year Nokia veteran based in Espoo. His distinguished career with Nokia includes  successful track record of spearheading, leading, developing and influencing some of most significant developments within the mobile industry. Shkumbin held key technology leadership positions in standardization, ecosystem development, devices, GTM partnerships, and business line management. He is named as inventor in 12 granted patents and author of several technical publications. He is currently heading Nokia’s Network Monetization Platform Business Unit helping industry to unleash the power of 5G networks.
Born in Prishtina, Kosovo, Shkumbin studied in Zagreb, Croatia and after a brief time in Bangkok, Thailand he moved to Finland where he has lived since 1996. Married with two teenage sons, he is passionate about aviation and enjoys playing chess.

Elmo’s teledriving technology successfully validated with Starlink and Nokia

Last week, Elmo made significant progress in advancing teledriving technology, successfully validating our system across two cutting-edge network connections in diverse geographic settings.

Advanced network prioritization in Finland’s urban centers

In the dynamic public streets of Tampere and Espoo, Finland, our collaboration with industry leaders Nokia and Elisa showcased the robustness of our road-legal teledrivable electric cars. Despite heavy network traffic, our teledrivable vehicles were prioritized for “quality network on demand,” ensuring seamless operational capability even under challenging conditions. This trial not only demonstrated the effectiveness of 5G networks in supporting high-demand teledriving scenarios but also reinforced our technology’s reliability and efficiency.

Pioneering teledriving with Starlink in Kyiv and other remote areas of Ukraine

Concurrently, our team extended validation to include remote operations in Ukraine, utilizing SpaceX’s Starlink technology to ensure uninterrupted communication between our teledrivable Nissan Navara and its control station. This validation was pivotal in proving the viability of satellite communications in supporting our teledriving solutions across vast distances and varied terrains.

Future outlook and global impact

These breakthroughs across both terrestrial 4G and 5G networks, as well as extraterrestrial Starlink connections, signify a crucial advancement for Elmo’s teledriving applications. Our technology is now validated to function flawlessly in a wide range of network settings worldwide, enhancing safety and efficiency and different price ranges. As we progress, Elmo is committed to broadening the reach of our teledriving technology into new markets, extending beyond car sharing to include innovative applications in sectors such as logistics, military, private vehicles and other.

Keep an eye on our journey as we continue to innovate and reshape the future of transportation with our safe, dependable, and cutting-edge teledriving solutions. Follow us on Linkedin.

More information:
Enn Laansoo, Jr.

Ceo, co-founder

enn@elmoremote.com

Elmo revolutionizes urban mobility with World’s First road-legal teledriving technology

Innovative teledriving solution delivers electrical cars directly to users’ doorsteps, transforming car-sharing services.

Elmo, a leader in teledriving technology solutions, proudly announces the successful deployment of its road-legal teledriving technology on public streets, marking a world-first in the automotive industry. This revolutionary technology now powers car-sharing services, enabling vehicles to be remotely controlled right to the user’s doorstep.


Elmo’s teledriving technology represents a significant breakthrough in urban mobility, having successfully navigated extensive regulatory and technical hurdles to ensure the utmost safety and reliability on public roads. This innovative system enables users to effortlessly order a vehicle through a dedicated app, which driverless navigates to their location without the need for a human driver.

The introduction of this technology markedly enhances user convenience while substantially reducing the number of parked vehicles required in city centers. This reduction plays a critical role in decreasing urban traffic congestion and lowering pollution levels, heralding a new era of sustainable urban transportation solutions.

“This milestone isn’t merely a triumph of technology; it’s a transformative shift for urban mobility,” remarked Enn Laansoo, Jr., CEO and co-founder of ELMO. “Our team is excited to be at the forefront of integrating sophisticated teledriving technologies into daily life, thereby redefining standards for transportation efficiency and safety.”

Looking to the future, Elmo is committed to scaling this technology globally and beyond its current applications. Plans are already underway to introduce teledriving solutions to additional cities and to penetrate new market segments such as logistics and personal transportation, promising a wider impact on global mobility paradigms.

Elmo is an Estonian company primarily engaged in the development of innovative deep tech technology for remotely controlled vehicles (see elmoremote.com) and in providing eco-friendly car-sharing services (see elmorent.ee). Elmo is the first car rental company in Estonia to be certified with a responsible company quality mark.

Video from Estonian National Television main news program “Aktuaalne Kaamera”, see https://www.err.ee/1608799978/elmo-rendiautod-hakkavad-kliendini-soitma-kaugjuhtimise-teel

For more information, to schedule a demonstration, or to interview a company representative:

Contact Information:

Enn Laansoo, Jr.

CEO

enn@elmoremote.com

www.elmoremote.com



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