Virtual Roadside Units (vRSUs) are positioned as a cost-effective and scalable alternative to traditional Roadside Units (RSUs) as a tool for cooperative mobility. However, they complement rather than directly compete, each excelling in specific use cases. Optimal Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems leverage both types to achieve economical yet robust deployments. Global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasts vRSUs to span 120,000 signalized intersections globally by 2030, growing at a 66% CAGR from 2024. While cost and scalability drive this expansion, addressing technological and business model alignment issues is crucial for realizing this growth.
“Cooperative Intelligent Transport System (C-ITS) operators have already spent years investing in traditional RSUs, but it has not proliferated well. A virtualized alternative that uses 4G or 5G to address V2X use cases and can improve and grow in scale over time without spending more on installing another piece of hardware at the roadside is an ideal way for these operators to squeeze more value from their existing investments while preparing for the future of cooperative mobility,” explains Abu Miah, Research Analyst at ABI Research.
Today, deployments of vRSUs are still relatively scarce, but some vendors are driving scalable adoption of the technology in select regions. For example, Monotch, founded in the Netherlands, offers a Traffic Live Exchange (TLEX) platform that includes a vRSU service and can also integrate other vendors’ vRSU solutions. In the Netherlands, Monotch connects 2.5 million out of 8 million vehicles, with further activity in Belgium and Nordic countries, as well as deployments in the United States and New Zealand. Scalable adoption has improved as the technology has been continuously updated and refined, and other regions and vendors will learn from this through open working groups and papers from organizations like the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA).
The technology is ripe for growth, but the business model in this virtualized ecosystem is in dire need of alignment to understand who is paying for vRSU deployment and maintenance, how it is priced, and how automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will engage in data sharing through the network with non-OEM parties. Technological issues, such as interoperability between vRSU service providers, must also be confronted by standardizing interfaces and data formats. Still, these are being actively addressed with promising results from open working group items boding well for the market’s future.
“Strong public safety interest is likely to sustain the development and deployment of vRSUs. Expectations of the potential of this technology are varied across the ecosystem. Still, its ability to scale and improve over time as cellular technologies evolve will allow it to address more use cases over time and make it a key part of the V2X journey,” Miah concludes.
These findings are from ABI Research’s Virtual Roadside Units application analysis report.
