What is the European 5G Observatory?

The European 5G Observatory aims to monitor market developments, including trials and other actions taken by industry stakeholders and Member States in the context of 5G rollout in Europe and beyond. The Observatory will enable to assess the progress of Europe’s 5G Action Plan, and take action to fully implement it.

As 5G gets closer to market deployment, the European 5G Observatory provides updates on all market developments, including actions undertaken by the private and public sectors, in the field of 5G. All developments will be analysed in view of their strategic implications on the objectives of the 5G Action Plan and other public policy objectives. The Observatory will focus primarily on developments in Europe, along with major international developments (USA, Japan, China, South Korea) that could impact the European market.

The Observatory will monitor the following developments:

  • Main 5G market developments including planning and commercial launch of 5G products and services with major impact;
  • New developments regarding key 5G products and components as well as technology choices made by key actors including regarding standards and use of spectrum bands;
  • 5G pre-commercial trials and partnerships between actors of the 5G value chain;
  • National strategies and plans by EU Member States, available national data on 5G deployment including coverage and quality;
  • Preparation and execution of spectrum assignments by public authorities as well as 5G public funding for network deployment and R&I.

 

Plans to establish the European 5G Observatory were announced in February 2018 by Commissioner Gabriel, to closely monitor the progress of the European 5G Connectivity objectives for a competitive Digital Single Market by 2025. The European Commission expects the first comprehensive reports and a publicly accessible online platform to be available from mid-2018.

In line with the 5G Action Plan for Europe, EU countries have already agreed on a 5G roadmap to coordinate the availability of new 5G frequencies. A number of Member States have published national strategies on 5G in the context of national broadband plans (NBPs).

IDATE DigiWorld has been selected to carry out the 5G European observatory for the European Commission. If you have any comments on information disclosed, please feel free to send comments at the following email address: 5GObservatory@idate.org

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