New Delhi, June 12 -- By the end of this year, driving on India's roads should become smarter and safer.

The government has paved the way for the rollout of connected vehicle safety technology, which will allow drivers to get alerts about sudden braking, collisions and other road hazards far beyond their line of sight.

A portion of the key 5.9 GHz band has been freed up for direct vehicle communications, according to a gazette notification dated 10 June seen by Mint. The new rules exempt in-car communication devices, known as on-board units (OBUs), from licensing requirements. According to the notification, the department of telecommunications (DoT) has delicensed 30 MHz of spectrum in the 5875-5905 MHz (5.9 GHz) band.

The establishmen...