
What is 5G?
- The fifth generation of mobile & wireless technologies
- A response to mobile traffic doubling every two years & the growing needs of emerging applications
- The capacity, performance level & security needed to meet future connectivity needs
- Integrating different technologies, especially the Internet of Things
5G investments to support the COVID-19 Recovery
- The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of resilient & high-speed communications for remote working, in our daily lives, & to maintain business operations & processes
- The Commission & Member States have identified fibre & 5G infrastructure as a key area of investment for the Recovery & Resilience Facility (RRF), for a digital & green recovery
5G in CONNECT RRF components:
5G for Europe’s Recovery
5G and connectivity infrastructures: A flagship of the EU recovery and resilience facility
- 5G is one of the 7 flagship areas of RRF: a significant share of its targeted €150 billion digital budget should finance 5G network infrastructures
- RRF funds will complement Connecting Europe Facility and Digital Europe Programme strategic investments
- Over the full recovery period, it should double the level of annual investments in network infrastructures in Europe, giving a boost to 5G network rollout
- RRF funds will benefit from a range of fast-track measures regarding state aid authorisation
5G for verticals
- Enable artificial intelligence in business and other aspects of our daily lives
- Connect our communities and industries, from applications in public health, such as remote diagnosis, surgery or monitoring of patients, automated cars to wireless robots
- Excellent potential for sustainable growth and job creation across Europe
- Expected global added value of over €500 billion per year
5G Action Plan
- The 5G Action Plan will boost efforts to deploy 5G infrastructure & services
- Calling on stakeholders & Member States to launch and invest in 5G
- Using the new investment-friendly European Electronic Communicatinos Code ('The Code') adopted in 2018
- 5G for Europe: An Action Plan – COM(2016)588 (.pdf)
European 5G Observatory
- The European 5G Observatory monitors the progress of the 5G Action Plan
- European operators are neck-and-neck with other leading world regions
- Europe is a world leader in 5G trial activities with more than €1 billion invested
- Investments in commercial roll-out of €60-100 billion per year need to follow
EU-27 Scoreboard (January 2021)
The Electronic Communications Code
The Electronic Communications Code sets out common EU rules and objectives for the telecoms market
- Harmonised principles and peer review process for coherent spectrum authorisations
- Coordinated deadlines for spectrum availability, especially for use by 5G
- Long duration of rights of spectrum use – 20 years of predictability
- EU-wide light deployment regime for small cells (Commission implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1070 of 20 July 2020)
5G Spectrum
- A roadmap for delivering the 5G 'spectrum mix' for the Internet of Everything
- Usability of all 5G Pioneer Bands by the end of 2020
- Make all mobile bands '5G-ready' & consider additional bands for 5G
Connectivity Toolbox
- The Connectivity Toolbox Recommendation targets:
- Short-term measures to boost investment in very high-capacity broadband connectivity infrastructure, including fibre and 5G,
- Guidance to Member States in the process of designing their proposals for a recovery and resilience plan
- Best practices to be implemented in national roadmaps
5G Corridors
- Vision: Pan-EU 5G Corridors for Connected and Automated Mobility
- Private investment with public funding of cross-border & challenging areas
- Large-scale testing using Horizon 2020 (€80 million)
- Large-scale deployment of 5G Corridors will be supported by the new Connecting Europe Facility Digital (part of total proposed budget of €2.1 billion) as well as the Recovery and Resilience Facility
- Blending or coordination with InvestEU & national programmes
* On the road to automated mobility: An EU strategy for mobility of the future COM(2018) 283
Security
- 5G is a key asset for Europe to compete in the global market
- Cybersecurity is crucial for ensuring autonomy of the EU
- 5G infrastructure is interconnected & transnational by nature
- Vulnerabilities & cyber incidents in one Member State can affect the EU
- Serious consequences for critical serices in case of systemic & widespread disruptions
- A 5G Cyber-security toolbox has been published at EU level
Electromagnetic fields and 5G
- Some citizens perceive 5G as a threat to public health, as they think that EMF exposure is higher than exposure from current 4G networks
- Some of the expressed concerns have been classified as disinformation. An example of this is linking 5G networks with the outbreak of COVID-19
- Exposure to EMF that is caused by wireless communications equipment including for 5G is subject to limits defined in a Council Recommendation. These limits are set according to the guidelines issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. More information about the guidelines can be found on ICNIRP's webpage
- Following the scientific recommendations, the EU puts exposure for the general public at a limit which is at least 50 times lower than what international scientific evidence suggests as having any effect on health
- These limits are not binding for EU Members States and they are responsible for setting EMF limits in their countries
5G PPP
- 5G Public Private Partnership (5G-PPP) launched in 2013
- €700 million public investment
- Mobilising €5 billion of private investment
- Establishing Europe as leader in 5G technology
- Global cooperation enabling global 5G standards
- Building 5G ecosystems with large-scale trials
The Road to 6G
Under preparation: a new strategic partnership under Horizon Europe for cooperation beyond 5G & towards 6G
- Enable the digital and green transition of the economy and society
- Establish a human-centric Internet reflecting OUR European values
- Build the Research and Innovation capacities for Europe’s technology sovereignty in 6G systems
- Address connectivity extended value chains, e.g. for cloud, the Internet of Things or components and devices
- Develop lead markets, and boost 5G deployment in key areas of public interest, like 5G corridors for connected and automated mobility
- A first set of 6G projects has already been launched under the 5G-PPP with the Hexa-X flagship system project complemented with 8 projects investigating specific technologies
Budget over the period 2021-2027
- EU public R&I investment of €900 million under Horizon Europe, matched by the private sector
- Coordination of 5G Deployment programmes of around €1 billion under CEF Digital
- Broader R&I investments in Europe expected to leverage up to €10 billion from industry
Estimated timeline
- First half of 2022 - Launch of the first funded actions