Who has decided what — and what nobody has decided.
Five jurisdictions matter and they have arrived at strikingly different places. The technology question is effectively settled: every regulator that has made a choice since 2018 has chosen C-V2X. The mandate question is wide open, and the divergence is the defining feature of 2026.
Six jurisdictions, five columns.
| Technology | Spectrum | Fleet mandate | Trust model | Current state | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | C-V2X only | 30 MHz, 5895–5925 | None. NHTSA withdrew its V2V rulemaking in Nov 2023 | Multiple commercial SCMS operators, no federal governance rule | DSRC ceases 14 Dec 2026; USDOT deployment plan is non-binding |
| European Union | Technology neutral | 60 MHz, 5875–5935 | None | CCMS: CPA, TLM, CPOC, multi-root ECTL | No C-ITS delegated act since the 2019 rejection; common specifications targeted 2024–2027 |
| China | LTE-V2X only | 20 MHz, 5905–5925 | None; heavy subsidy and pilot programme instead | YD/T 3957-2021, TRCLA/TRCL | 20-city vehicle-road-cloud pilot concluding end-2026; ~4% penetration |
| Japan | C-V2X | 30 MHz planned, 5895–5925 | None | — | Assignment targeted for FY2026; implementation goal 2030 |
| South Korea | C-V2X | 20 MHz at 5855–5875 | None | — | DSRC sunset June 2027 |
| India | C-V2X | 50 MHz proposed; 30 MHz already licence-exempt for OBUs | Draft mandate for all L, M, N from 1 Oct 2028 | Undecided; X.509-versus-1609.2 problem unresolved | TRAI recommendations pending; MoRTH draft in comment |
What the table above is actually saying.
Technology convergence is complete at the policy layer. The US in 2020 and 2024, China in 2018, South Korea in December 2023, India in 2026, Japan for FY2026 — all C-V2X. The EU alone remains formally technology-neutral, and its installed base is ITS-G5. How the technology argument ended →
Mandate divergence is now stark, and India is the outlier in the other direction. India is proposing full-fleet fitment by October 2028, including two-wheelers. The US has no mandate and withdrew its proposal. The EU has none. China mandates nothing and subsidises heavily. This is the defining regulatory asymmetry of 2026, and it means India will either lead the world in V2X fitment or produce the most instructive failure in the field.
PKI interoperability is the unsolved global problem. Four broadly incompatible trust regimes — US SCMS, EU CCMS, China's YD/T 3957-2021, and India's prospective national ITS root CA — with India additionally facing a domestic X.509-versus-IEEE-1609.2 mismatch that nobody else has. The four models compared →
Each jurisdiction, in detail.
India
TRAI CP 08/2026, G.S.R. 466(E), the MoRTH draft and AIS-230, TEC and MTCTE.
United States
FCC, the DSRC sunset, USDOT's plan, NHTSA's withdrawal.
European Union
ITS Directive, the delegated act that never was, CCMS, C-Roads.
China
MIIT, the pilot cities, and the gap between policy and fitment.
Asia-Pacific
Japan, South Korea and Australia.
Spectrum
Every allocation above, with exact band edges and power limits.
Last reviewed: 17 August 2026. Regulatory content decays quickly; every page in this section carries its own review date.
Questions this page answers.
Is V2X mandatory anywhere in the world?
Nowhere yet, as a fleet fitment requirement. India has published a draft that would require it on all new L, M and N category vehicles from 1 October 2028; that draft was still in consultation as of August 2026. The United States withdrew its proposed V2V rule in November 2023. The EU has no fitment mandate. China subsidises heavily and mandates nothing.
Which V2X technology has won?
C-V2X, at the policy layer. Every jurisdiction that has made a technology decision since 2018 — the US, China, South Korea, Japan and India — has chosen it. The European Union is the exception, remaining formally technology-neutral after its 2019 delegated act was rejected on those grounds, and its installed base remains predominantly ITS-G5.
When does DSRC stop working?
In the United States, DSRC operations must cease by 14 December 2026; no new licences are being issued and existing ones are renewable only to that date. In South Korea, June 2027. In Europe, ITS-G5 remains fully permitted with no sunset.
Do V2X rules differ by country?
Substantially. Spectrum allocations range from 20 MHz in China to 60 MHz in the EU. Licensing ranges from Australia's no-fee class licence to India's proposed restriction of roadside operation to government agencies. Trust architectures are mutually incompatible across four regimes. A device designed for one market generally requires rework for another — which is why market scope should be decided before architecture, not after.