What is the link between 5G and a self-driving future?

The fifth-generation mobile network (5G) is coming, and with it the promise of unprecedented efficiency, latency and throughput. This sort of network capability will allow numerous industries to more fully exploit the Internet of Things (IoT). For automotive, it presents exciting new possibilities for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity. Its initial automotive applications will centre around connected car features, and many suggest it could prove a key element in the successful deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Autonomous operations would certainly be easier if vehicles are able to communicate quickly and accurately with each other, with infrastructure and with passengers, but is 5G absolutely necessary for autonomy?