New Zealand carrier Spark has begun testing the first 5G-connected autonomous vehicle in the nation under a partnership with Ohmio Automotion.

The driverless car, which is being trialled on the streets in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct this week, is connected to Spark’s test 5G network at its innovation lab and carries up to four passengers.

Passengers can use a tablet to hail the autonomous vehicle, which then arrives for pick-up and drives around a programmed seven-minute loop at a maximum speed of 7km/h, though it is capable of 25km/h. An in-vehicle dashboard provides information on how and what the car is monitoring in real-time via LIDAR.
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