Digital Decade 2024: 5G Observatory Report

Latest developments

The current state of play in 5G bands authorisation indicates some progress in this respect compared to the last reporting period, most notably in the 700 MHz and 3.6 GHz bands, which have now been widely assigned across Member States (MSs), while the 26 GHz band has been authorised only in 12 MSs. As such, the authorisation of the 5G pioneer bands, which was supposed to have been completed in all EU Member States by end 20201 has not been completely fulfilled yet.

The most recent assignments have taken place in Austria, Bulgaria, and Latvia, with notable auctions in the 3.6 GHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 26 GHz bands. There is also a continued strong interest in local spectrum assignment mechanisms across EU MSs, with recent developments in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Slovenia.

In terms of EU policy developments, the European Commission published a White Paper on digital infrastructure setting out future policy scenarios to accelerate the deployment and transition of digital infrastructures in Europe, highlighting the need for innovation, efficient investment, and secure networks. Initial reactions to the Commission's digital infrastructure White Paper have been generally positive. The feedback period for the White Paper remains open until 30 June 2024.

Publicly funded 5G initiatives continue to be of interest, with Nokia having announced a significant investment in microelectronics and communications technology in Germany (€360 million) and the European Commission having selected additional projects in the context of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital) programme.

As far as main commercial developments are concerned, we have observed that the main focus remains on the rollout and expansion of basic 5G networks across the EU, with various operators announcing new 5G coverage milestones. There has also been a continued effort by EU mobile operators to launch more 5G standalone (5G SA) services across the EU, although the deployment of SA services remains limited, and there is little transparency about the extent of operator rollouts.

Major international developments confirm the continued global investment in 5G networks. The ITU reports that 40% of the global population is now covered by 5G (including both SA and NSA 5G coverage). The GSMA predicts that, by 2030, 5G will make up over half of all mobile connections and become the dominant mobile technology. There is also growing interest in the development of non-terrestrial 5G networks (NTN).