C-V2X on-board and roadside units Market Outlook 2026–2035: Growth Drivers, Key Companies, Strategic Developments & Adoption Forecast — A Meticulous Next™ Foresight Brief

This Meticulous Next™ brief examines C-V2X on-board and roadside units, meaning the on-board units and vehicle communication modules, roadside units and the security and application software that let vehicles exchange safety messages with each other and with road infrastructure. It tests how spectrum decisions and fitment policy in the main regions move vehicle-to-everything communication from pilots to standard equipment.

Regions have chosen different routes. In the United States the FCC adopted final C-V2X rules in November 2024 that allow three 10 MHz channels in the 5.9 GHz band, and older DSRC stations must stop operating in the 5895 to 5925 MHz range by 14 December 2026. The conclusion is that the United States has settled the technology question and that equipment sales now depend on whether automakers and road operators choose to fit it, since NHTSA withdrew its vehicle-to-vehicle rulemaking in November 2023 and no fleet mandate exists.

Europe has kept the technology open. The European Union sets aside 50 MHz for road intelligent transport systems in the 5875 to 5925 MHz range, a decision adds 20 MHz channels from July 2026, and ITS-G5 remains permitted with no sunset date. The conclusion is that equipment suppliers in Europe have to serve two technologies and cannot rely on a single standard.

China has the largest deployment and no mandate. The country uses LTE-V2X in 20 MHz of spectrum between 5905 and 5925 MHz, relies on subsidies and a pilot programme, and published the recommended standard GB/T 45315-2025 in February 2025, with penetration of roughly 4%. India has gone further on paper, with a draft that would require C-V2X on all L, M and N category vehicles from 1 October 2028. The conclusion is that the volume case rests on whether the Indian draft is finalised and whether other regions follow.

The brief treats C-V2X on-board and roadside units as an emerging signal with a nine year horizon to 2035. It identifies which equipment types, regions and companies move first and what each means for OEMs and road authorities. It is a focused 120-page decision brief that presents an indicative trajectory rather than a segmented market model.

C-V2X sends short safety messages directly between vehicles, roadside equipment and other road users using cellular radio technology in dedicated 5.9 GHz spectrum. Vehicles use the messages to warn drivers of hazards that sensors cannot see, such as a stopped vehicle around a bend or a signal about to change.

Spectrum is the first requirement. The United States assigns 30 MHz in the 5895 to 5925 MHz range to C-V2X only, the European Union uses 5875 to 5925 MHz for road safety with the 5905 to 5925 MHz portion limited to infrastructure-to-vehicle messages, and China uses 20 MHz between 5905 and 5925 MHz. The conclusion is that a unit sold in one region cannot be sold unchanged in another, which keeps product variants high.

Trust is the second requirement. Each region defines its own certificate model, and the Indian draft has not settled between the X.509 and IEEE 1609.2 approaches. The conclusion is that security and certificate systems are a separate product line and a condition for fitment.

Value depends on penetration. A safety message helps only when the other vehicle or the roadside unit can send one, so benefits rise with the number of equipped vehicles and units. With penetration in China at roughly 4%, most vehicles and signals there still have no equipped counterpart.

Chinese OEMs have started to integrate the function into driver assistance. BYD offers DiPilot with integrated C-V2X capability and Zeekr offers the G-Pilot platform, and several United States automakers, including Ford, are adapting to the new rules. The conclusion is that C-V2X is moving from stand-alone units into driver assistance platforms.

The limits are the absence of fitment mandates, technology neutrality in Europe, unresolved trust models and the cost of roadside infrastructure. The period turns on whether India finalises its draft and whether the United States or Europe move from permission to requirement.

The C-V2X on-board and roadside units market, covering on-board units and vehicle communication modules, roadside units, and the security and application software that run on them, and excluding cellular modules used only for telematics, general mobile network equipment, and traffic signal hardware, is valued at USD 2.5–4.0 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 18.63–29.8 billion by 2035, at a CAGR of 25%.

The 2026 base rests on on-board units, vehicle modules, roadside units and related security and application software sold mainly in China, with early volumes in the United States, Europe and India. Growth then follows fitment decisions, the United States transition and roadside network programmes.

The forecast is sensitive to fitment mandates, spectrum decisions and road authority funding.

Scenarios.

The base case assumes India finalises a mandate close to its draft and at least one further region adopts fitment rules, bringing the inflection to about 2030. An accelerated case assumes mandates in the United States or Europe, bringing the inflection to 2028 and lifting the 2035 value to the top of the range. A delayed case assumes the Indian draft stalls and no other region mandates fitment, moving the inflection to 2033 and holding growth at the bottom of the range.

Growth drivers

• Spectrum decisions.
• Subsidies and pilot programmes.
• Draft fitment mandates.
• Road safety targets.

Enablers

• Low-cost communication modules.
• Integrated driver assistance platforms.
• Common standards.
• Roadside unit programmes.

Restraints and barriers

• Absence of fitment mandates.
• Technology neutrality.
• Trust model decisions.
• Infrastructure cost.

The direction of C-V2X on-board and roadside units is set by spectrum rules, vehicle fitment policy, roadside infrastructure funding, security and trust models and driver assistance integration.

The key participants in C-V2X on-board and roadside units include Qualcomm Incorporated, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., China Information and Communication Technology Group Co., Ltd., Commsignia Kft., Cohda Wireless Pty Ltd, Kapsch TrafficCom AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, Aptiv PLC, DENSO Corporation, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd., Fibocom Wireless Inc., LG Electronics Inc., Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., Valeo SE, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Siemens AG, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, BYD Company Limited, Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd., Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen AG, Hyundai Motor Company, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Stellantis N.V., Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Volvo Car AB, Federal Communications Commission, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, United States Department of Transportation, European Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and 5G Automotive Association.

The brief profiles representative participants in each archetype and assesses which are positioned to lead as fitment rules develop.

Qualcomm, Huawei and Quectel lead among chipsets and modules in the markets covered, Bosch, Continental, Aptiv and DENSO lead among Tier 1 on-board units, and Kapsch TrafficCom, Commsignia and Siemens lead among roadside and traffic infrastructure. Competitive intensity is moderate, as volumes are still small and each region favours different suppliers.

Where value migrates.

In 2026 value sits with communication modules and roadside units sold into Chinese pilots and subsidised programmes. By 2031 it moves toward integrated platforms, as C-V2X is built into driver assistance systems and fitted under mandates. By 2035 it settles with security, certificate and service layers that run across vehicles and road networks. Margins hold for suppliers that serve several regional standards and narrow for single-region hardware suppliers.

The signals converge on a market where regional rules are settling but demand still waits on fitment decisions. The United States has chosen C-V2X and set a sunset for DSRC, the EU has added channels, China is deploying with subsidies and India has drafted a mandate, while the absence of mandates elsewhere keeps volumes low.

Structural limits show where progress could slow: no United States or EU fitment mandate, an unresolved trust model in India, low penetration that limits the benefit of each unit and the cost of roadside equipment. The brief therefore tracks four indicators: vehicles with C-V2X, roadside units deployed, mandate decisions and certificate system launches.

Spectrum decisions first, then fitment rules, then integrated platforms and services is the expected order of change.