European Commission
The Commission has launched the second call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility Digital Programme (CEF Digital) to complement a 1st call that is currently in progress. The 5G coverage along transport corridors initiative will contribute to the deployment of 5G infrastructure in Europe. The aim is to deliver high-quality, uninterrupted 5G connectivity in support of road-safety services and digital operations of rail and inland waterway services, as well to provide gigabit connectivity services to vehicles users and passengers.
Call for proposals for Works & Studies
The second CEF Digital call for the 5G Corridors Works action is now open until 21 March 2023, with a budget of €25 million. Funding under this action will support projects that can deliver high-quality, uninterrupted 5G connectivity throughout key European transport paths, able to support a broad range of Connected and Automated Mobility services.
Alongside the call for works, a call for proposals for preparatory studies was launched with a budget of €3 million, as well as a Coordination and Support Action aimed at supporting the integration of 5G with edge computing and European federated cloud facilities, with a budget of €2 million.
Launched under the CEF Digital Programme, this second call for proposals is similar to the first and aims at reinforcing the latter. The current call will allow those who did not manage to apply for the first call in due time, and those whose proposals did not make it through to reapply. A further third call with a larger budget is planned for 2023 for works proposals based on interim results of inception studies that have been selected as a result of call 1.
An Information Day on the calls and how to applywas held on 25 October by the implementing agency HaDEA. Visit the event page for more information.
Context - benefits of 5G Coverage along Transport Corridors
The 5G Corridors initiative is one of the Multi-Country Projects of the EU Digital Decade Strategy with the aim to scale-up investments at European level in key areas for a digital and green recovery.
In this context, CEF Digital has set out to fund projects providing 5G coverage along transport paths (roads, railways, waterways). The goal is to leverage further public and private investments and establish a pan-European transport network of 5G corridors by 2027. These infrastructures are considered key enablers for rolling out tomorrow’s connected and automated mobility.
5G infrastructure is seen as a key enabler for connected and automated mobility, for safety and non-safety services that would ultimately benefit EU citizens and industry. The said services would include a broad range of digital services for the road vehicle, the driver, and the passengers, as well as other relevant players. 5G Connectivity services would allow for high levels of automation by the end of the current decade on certain road sections.
5G infrastructures are also expected to strengthen the digitalisation of rail operations and inland waterways, and be used to provide services beyond the transport sector in areas surrounding the corridor, including populated areas or socio-economic drivers.