| Location |
Romania – Tulcea county |
| Sectors | Healthcare, education and research, emergency and safety, tourism, environment monitoring |
| Network type | 5G mobile private and public networks |
| Project start - end date (duration) |
1 October 2024 – 30 September 2027 (36 months) |
| Total budget | €3.4 million |
| EU contribution | €2.6 million |
| Lead entity / organisation | Orange Romania |
| Beneficiaries and partners |
Beneficiaries:
Associated partners:
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The purpose of the project is to bridge the digital divide in Romania’s remote Danube Delta.
To achieve this, the project will implement a hybrid 5G network architecture, integrating both public and private network elements.
What will it provide?
The project will enable improving healthcare services, education, tourism and environmental monitoring across Danube Delta communities through the implementation of 5G-enabled smart community applications.
How will it work?
The project’s 5G radio access network (RAN) will enable the implementation of four use cases:
- e-Health - The network will digitalise medical services in rural and remote areas of the Danube Delta region, particularly in Tulcea county. Building on the previous ‘Telehealth Information System for Rural Areas’, which was limited by inadequate connectivity, the new implementation leverages 5G to integrate advanced telemedicine solutions, greatly improving access to healthcare for residents in isolated communities.
- Education - The network will revitalise and integrate past tele-education initiatives within a modern 5G ecosystem while introducing novel, user-friendly solutions. Targeted at students, teachers and educational institutions, the project ensures high-quality digital education services. It builds upon previous efforts that targeted disadvantaged communities in Romania but were limited by inadequate connectivity. 5G integration now overcomes these barriers, enabling a seamless and inclusive learning experience.
- Tourism - The network will enhance the visitor experience in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve through a suite of web and mobile applications. Designed to be proactive and non-intrusive, the application acts as an organisational assistant, guiding visitors, providing curated information and facilitating navigation paths throughout the reserve.
- Environmental monitoring - The network will advance ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation in the Danube Delta through 5G-enabled monitoring techniques. The project integrates an environmental monitoring application developed under the Horizon Europe-funded DaWetRest initiative, addressing key environmental challenges, primarily in the Lake Sărături Murighiol area, a strictly protected zone of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve that has experienced ecological degradation due to desiccation.
How will it be built?
The project will deploy a 5G RAN across localities, ensuring widespread coverage and high-speed data access.
It will comprise:
- radio sites spanning rural areas to ensure comprehensive 5G service availability;
- a backhaul network consisting of new fibre deployments (until fibre roll-out completion, existing microwave backhaul links (up to 1 Gbps) will ensure connectivity);
- cloud resources.
How can I find out more about the project?
The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)
Read more information
- Visit the project page in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal (europa.eu)
- Project website