5G Corridor deployment

5G Corridors: a key driver for Europe’s Green and Digital transition

The deployment of 5G connectivity infrastructure along transport paths throughout Europe – 5G corridors – is expected to contribute to the green and digital transformation of the EU economy and society. 

5G-enabled Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) is seen as a major enabler for improved road safety, optimised road traffic, reduced CO2 emissions, and industrial competitiveness of both the transport and mobility sector. 

The 5G Corridor infrastructure will not only enable a broad range of digital services for the vehicle, the driver, passengers, and other relevant players, but also connectivity services paving the way to driving with high levels of automation by the end of the current decade. 

We expect that deploying 5G infrastructure will equally contribute to the digitalisation of rail operations and inland waterways.

The Commission has acknowledged the key role played by 5G Corridors both in Europe’s Digital Decade Strategyand in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. 5G Corridors constitute one of the Multi-Country Projects (MCPs) identified in the Digital Decade Strategy and thus represent one of the main strategic investment areas of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

A large-scale pan-European deployment of 5G corridors can draw on conclusions and recommendations made following 5G cross-border trial projects.  During the latter,  stakeholders from different sectors combined their efforts to conduct testing and trials of 5G-enabled CAM, with the support of Horizon 2020 under the 5G Public-Private Partnership.

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital Programme has been supporting large-scale deployment of 5G corridors over the 2021-2027 period, with a planned budget of around €780 million. The first Multi-annual Work Programme for the 2021-2025 period, adopted on 16 December 2021, set a focus on the deployment of cross-border sections along 5G corridors.

First series of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital Projects launched in 2023 & 2024

The first series of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital 5G Corridor calls have led to an early wave of deployment projects, as well as inception studies meant to further develop the project pipeline and prepare for subsequent calls. 

The 2 calls resulted in a total of 18 successful projects depicted in the map above, which were launched in 2023 and 2024 and are currently ongoing. 

Innovative cooperation models are emerging with the participation of different industry sectors involved in the 5G-enabled CAM ecosystem to generate the first wave of projects. 

Quite a few projects are focusing on deploying a passive network infrastructure under the leadership of companies that own and operate mobile radio towers, in cooperation with mobile network operators, road operators, rail infrastructure managers and original equipment manufacturers.

In parallel, we are seeing seamless cross-border roaming solutions develop, attempting to ensure uninterrupted 5G coverage throughout cross-border corridors, which will hopefully make minutes without connectivity when driving through border areas a thing of the past. 

A 3rd call for proposals was published between 17 October 2023 and 20 February 2024 and was open to both works and studies. 

Successful studies will further contribute to developing the project pipeline, while projects will be deploying infrastructure on the ground. The evaluation process of submitted proposals is being finalised and successful projects should be announced by the third quarter of 2024 and are foreseen to launch in 2025.

A 4th call is planned for the third quarter of 2024 and will be based on the CEF Digital Work Programme 2024-2027, which is in currently undergoing the process of being adopted. 

Overall, thanks to the support of enhanced cross-border cooperation, EU Research and Innovation Funding, and most of all the substantial funding under CEF Digital, a new map of 5G Corridor Deployment Projects is taking shape in Europe.