Halo claims to have launched one of the first commercial driverless car services in the U.S. running on the T-Mobile 5G network in Las Vegas.

Halo say, visitors and residents can quickly summon a sleek, driverless all-electric Halo with the push of a button. A driverless Halo then arrives at the pick-up location and the rider hops in and drives to their destination.

In reality Halo vehicles are operated by remote drivers over the T-Mobile 5G network, so hardly driverless, just a faceless driver in a remote location.

Halo began driving on Las Vegas’ public roads earlier this year. Halo say it is collaborating with local municipalities to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) to address traffic congestion and carbon emission challenges by connecting public transit systems to on-demand, driverless cars.

The company expects to begin offering rides to customers later this year with service initially available in urban parts of the Las Vegas Valley.

A Youtube video of the service is available here.

T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said, “Driverless cars! Fuelling this kind of startup innovation is part of why we’ve built the biggest, fastest and most reliable 5G network in the country.

"Innovation and driving change for the better is our DNA at the Un-carrier, and we’ve unleashed a 5G network that will transform industries and change our world for the better. I can’t wait to see what comes next as we work with startups, developers and entrepreneurs like Halo building the next big thing in 5G!”

Halo and T-Mobile claim the service is safe and easy to use. Riders will simply summon a driverless EV via a mobile app. A remote controlled Halo arrives at the pick-up location and the rider hops in and drives to their destination. Upon arrival, no parking is needed — the Halo moves to its next pick-up location.

With its proprietary RemotePilot technology, Halo trains in-house drivers to remotely operate the car over T-Mobile’s 5G network.

Halo say it has developed an Advanced Safe Stop mechanism enabling its cars to immediately come to a full stop if a potential safety hazard or system anomaly is detected. Using an advanced Artificial Intelligence algorithm, the car also learns in the background while humans control the vehicle, building a unique feedback loop to achieve Level 3 capabilities over time.

Halo CEO and founder Anand Nandakumar said, “Full autonomy is a massive challenge from both a technical and social trust perspective that won’t be solved for years to come.

“But Halo has been designed to address these challenges by building automation over time starting with a solution that consumers will feel comfortable using today.”

Clark County Commissioner of District F and Vice Chair of the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission Justin Jones said, “For years, Nevada has been a hub for innovation in autonomous vehicles and a leader in this space. “Halo and 5G technology offer an intelligent transition between where we are today and where we want to go in the coming years, giving residents and visitors a better, more energy efficient way to move throughout this great city.”

T-Mobile EVP of advanced & emerging technologies John Saw said, “Driverless vehicles require a network with high capacity, broad coverage and low latency, making T-Mobile 5G a perfect match for developers such as Halo.

“There is a lot of work to do on the path to full autonomy, and Halo is taking a unique and intelligent approach to get there.”