The European 5G Conference 2021

Adopted in 2016, the existing 5G Action Plan set a number of key targets for 5G deployment across member states and provided a roadmap for how to achieve these. 4 years on, the investment environment has changed massively with the COVID-19 pandemic and public funds launched to enable Europe’s recovery. Against this background, the Commission is consulting on a ‘5G Action Plan Review’, with the aim of setting out new goals towards full 5G deployment as part of the planned Digital Decade Strategy. This session will discuss the current state of play regarding rollout and deployment in Europe, and the key issues that this review of the 5G Action Plan will address. Moving forward, it will look to identify the areas on which future European 5G policy should focus, and at the path forward to ensure that Europe’s 5G goals and objectives are fully achieved.

• Where do we sit with regards to current rollout of 5G networks across Europe, and to what extent can the 5G Action Plan be said to have met its goals of ‘…making 5G a reality for all citizens and businesses by the end of 2020’?
• What will the 5G investment agenda look like in a COVID 19 recovery world?
• Where is Europe compared to other regions when it comes to the deployment of small cells and other network infrastructure? What barriers to deployment are being seen and what can be done to speed things up?
• What are the key areas that need to be revisited as the Commission looks to update the 5G Action Plan? What are the new targets and what are the deadlines considered to hit these?
• How will 5G ecosystems for verticals shape the 5G investment and regulatory agenda?
• How has the 5G investment agenda across key areas been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, and how can this be taken into account as work on the new 5GAP begins?
• How the cyber toolbox be integrated into an amended version of the wider 5G Action Plan, and what support may be available to help meet the costs of implementing this?
• What should be the key focus of Europe’s 5G Policy moving forward, and how can all stakeholders come together to ensure that the full potential of this key technology is fully met?
• How can 5G networks contribute to the green deal and how can citizens’ concerns on potential health and environmental issues be addressed?

The European Commission Recovery and Resilience and Recovery Fund (RRF) is an unprecedented €750BN pan-EU support package aimed at kick-starting the economy and laying the foundations for a recovery led by private investment in key sectors and technologies. Investments in 5G have been made a priority as part of this, with funding available both for projects that assist with the delivery of connectivity to ‘challenge’ areas (e.g. rural communities, indoor locations and on rail and road routes); and those which accelerate 5G deployment and the path to ‘advanced 5G’. With the available funding strictly linked to the capability of member states to identify innovative and forward- looking projects, this session will look at how this can be best achieved and the areas that can benefit most from the funding that is available. It will look at the role that the RRF can play in stimulating broader public and private investment in 5G moving forward, and at the potential that this once in a lifetime opportunity offers to unleash the power of 5G.

• How should member states look to integrate 5G into their recovery and resilience plans, and develop innovative and forward looking projects that maximise the benefit of the funding that is available as part of the RRF?
• What types of projects are likely to benefit from the funding that is available?
• As we start on the path towards recovery, how can public funding ensure that 5G is not only a step forward for technology, but also a step forward for affordability and accessibility of service?
• To what extent can the RRF help to overcome current market failure in delivering connectivity How can connectivity to rural communities and other ‘challenge’ areas, and ultimately stimulate private investment in these areas?
• What funding is available to move innovative smaller projects and ‘5G communities’ onto the next level and move mainstream?
• How can the Commission help to simulate investment in modern 5G ecosystems and encourage operators to make the step-change to more advanced networks?
• How can stakeholders all over Europe take advantage of the growth opportunity offered by the RRF to truly harness the power of 5G to deliver a long-term positive impact for businesses and societies everywhere?

All around the world, countries and regions are battling for digital supremacy and to be seen as leading the way in the development of 5G and other key technologies. Whilst Europe is arguably currently well positioned in the international technological race, the potential to address the broader value chain is clear. Europe is home of two of the 3 big equipment suppliers, is blessed with world-class researchers and science labs, a thriving and innovative start-up community, and arguably the most highly skilled and developed vertical markets in the world. As we enter the era of 5G, and already start to look further ahead to B5G and even 6G, this session will look at how policymakers and industry can come together and form strategic alliances to harness some of these key competitive advantages. It will look at the best way forward to enable Europe to keep control of its digital destiny and set course for a more sustainable, inclusive, and world-leading digital future.

• What emerging supply market trends are being seen in Europe and around the world?
• What might the emergence of more open and interoperable interfaces in Radio Access Networks (Open-RAN) mean for the development of 5G in Europe? What advantages could it bring and what challenges exist?
• What timeframe is likely to be seen for the emergence of Open-RAN solutions? Will this be an interface for 5G, or is it more likely to be tool to aid the emergence and development of 6G technologies?
• As technologies and systems advance, what is the best way forward in order to deliver the robust ecosystem of trusted suppliers that is necessary to maintain a strong European position in delivering secure wireless technology?
• How can European companies be helped to grow with independence and what work needs to be done to facilitate the development of a diverse and sustainable 5G ecosystem in the EU?
• How can European stakeholders work together to keep control of Europe’s digital destiny and ensure that we are playing a major role in shaping both the technology agenda for 5G and also the technology capacities for 6G systems as the basis for future digital services towards 2030?
• As the journey ‘beyond 5G’ already begins, what potential technology trends are likely to play a part in shaping 6G, and how can Europe ensure that it is in a position to take advantage of the benefits offered by these future technologies?

As 5G rollout and digital transformation initiatives accelerate both in Europe and across the world, it is vital that a clear and co-ordinated strategy is in place to ensure that cyber security and privacy protection remain a top priority. In recent years, the European Union has been seen as leading the way in this area, implementing several initiatives in order to develop trust and cooperation across member states.  With the review of the NIS Directive expected before the end of 2020, and with us now being one year on from the launch of the EU toolbox on 5G Cybersecurity, this session will look at the extent to which these these and other key policy instruments can come together to ensure the security and resilience of Europe’s 5G networks.

• How are innovative policy and technology solutions being utilised to build a secure and transparent 5G ecosystem both in Europe and globally?
• How is the threat landscape developing and to what extent is the ‘toolbox’ likely to be successful in meeting its goals of delivering robust and consistent security standards across the EU?
• What new measures have been introduced as part of the review of the NIS directive, and to what extent will this help to protect Europe’s critical infrastructure?
• With the entire digital ecosystem of interconnected products being only as secure as its weakest link, how is Europe working with other regions to ensure the security of the (sometimes complex) global 5G supply chain?
• What role can emerging technologies such as AI and blockchain be harnessed to help secure the 5G supply chain?
• How can policymakers and industry work together to help deliver consumer confidence in the security of 5G – a vital component for its widespread adoption?

As we begin to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, all around the world, Governments are looking to put into place a recovery strategy built around 2 core principles – technology and sustainability. 5G and related technologies such as AI, IoT and SuperComputing are seen as being a key part of this and of building a safer more sustainable future for us all. At the same time however, there are also concerns about the environmental impact of 5G, and the amount of energy consumed by the additional infrastructure that is required to cope with the 5G era. This session will look at both sides of the coin. As 5G adoption around the world continues, it will look at the best way forward to manage growth in a sustainable way in order to minimise the initial environmental impact. And then moving forward, it will look at how the power of 5G can be harnessed to help us emerge from the pandemic stronger, and accelerate the EU’s trajectory towards a greener, safer future for us all.

• How can the initial rollout of 5G be sustainably managed in areas such as e-waste and energy demand to allay concerns about the possible environmental impact of new networks?
• Who should be responsible for managing and mitigating the environmental impact of 5G rollout?
• How can issues relating to EMF exposure from 5G be best handled, both to ensure there is no risk to human health and also to tackle the misinformation that has been circulating relating to this?
• What role can 5G and other technologies play in leading the recovery from Covid-19 and more broadly help businesses everywhere to hit sustainability goals by enabling them to transform their processes and behaviour?
• How can digital technologies be harnessed in order to help governments, businesses, and philanthropic organizations accelerate their efforts to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
• How realistic is the ambition for 5G to ultimately become the first fully carbon-neutral network, and how can this be achieved?

As part of her State of the Union Address in September 2020, President von der Leyen set out the European Commission’s recommendations on a common European toolbox of best practices aimed at “…reducing the cost of deploying very high capacity networks and ensuring timely and investment-friendly access to 5G radio spectrum”. Member states are now required to deliver a national roadmap for the implementation of this toolbox by April 2021. With the situation across Europe currently very mixed and many member states behind the schedules set out for both 5G network deployment and spectrum allocation, this session will look at the extent to which this toolbox will help to address this, and at how stakeholders across Europe need to come together in order to keep the European Commission’s 5G Action Plan on track.

• What specific areas are targeted within the Connectivity Toolbox, and how does the European Commission aim to work with member states in order to deliver develop and agree on best practices?
• What specific actions have been set out to enhance co-ordination at border areas?
• To what extent has the small cell act addressed 5G deployment issues across Europe, and what obstacles still remain? Is there a need to extend the scope of the act beyond specifically focussing on small cells?
• How can an investment friendly environment for 5G be delivered, and what role can public-private partnerships play in delivering the necessary investment?
• How can the toolbox complement other related EU policies such as the Broadband Cost Reduction Direction (BCDR), the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme and the Green Deal?
• Taken collectively, to what extent do these policy measures now mean that Europe is on a path to achieve the goals of promoting investment and reduce cost of deployment, and to get the EU 5G Action Plan back on track?

Launched in 2012, the original Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) was instrumental in shaping EU communications policy and setting the direction for the development of 4G networks across the continent. As we now move into the 5G era, the European Commission has signalled its intention to this year establish a new RSPP, and to provide a future-looking roadmap to illustrate how spectrum can best support broader European policy prioirites up until 2030. The process of consultation on this has already begun, with the RSPG due to release an opinion on this by June 2021 (with an initial draft expected in Q1). This session will discuss the main pillars and focusses that are under consideration for inclusion as part of the programme, and at how recent policy, regulatory and technological developments can be integrated into this. As the journey continues to 5G and beyond, it will look at the connectivity challenges that still remain, and at how the RSPP can deliver a roadmap to support gigabit connectivity throughout Europe going forward.

• How has the connectivity environment changed since the adoption of the original RSPP in 2012, and how can the updated version take into account recent policy, regulatory and technological developments?
• How can the new RSPP best build on the achievements of the original version and also some of the forward-looking spectrum policy elements of the subsequent European Electronic Communications Code?
• One of the key objectives of the RSPP is expected to be around the release of additional spectrum below 100GHz to promote innovative wireless services. How much spectrum should realistically be targeted to be made available and what timeframes should be set?
• What can be done within the RSPP to promote a flexible spectrum ecosystem that integrates technologies (for example AI), promotes sharing and increases overall spectrum efficiency?
• How can environmental and societal issues be integrated into the RSPP and how can it help to work towards broader EU policy targets in areas such as climate change, pandemic recovery and more?
• How can the application and enforcement of the RSPP be handled, and how can EU intuitions and member states work together to ensure a co-ordinated approach?
• With plans for B5G and even 6G expected to be well under way by 2030, how can it be ensured that RSPP delivers a forward-looking and ‘future-proof’ connectivity framework that goes beyond 5G to the gigabit technologies of the future?

5G actions have now been taking place across Europe for quite some time in the 700 MHz, 3.6 GHz, and 26 GHz bands. But Covid and a number of other factors have led to considerable delays across some countries, and the situation regarding the award and allocation of these bands is quite varied. In countries that awards have taken place, there is also a variety of different licencing models being seen, and particularly regarding the allocation of spectrum for private 5G networks. This session will look at where we are with regards to the rollout of spectrum that is needed for 5G in the short term. As the 5G spectrum environment starts to emerge, it will look at the different approaches, themes and trends that are being seen across member states, and at what ultimately is the best way forward to meet the connectivity requirements of the huge number of different use cases that are being seen.

• Where are we with regards to the award and allocation of the 5G frequency bands (700 MHz, 3.6 GHz, and 26 GHz) across Europe?
• What impact have factors such as the Covid pandemic had on the timetable for auctions and awards, and what now needs to be done to get the required spectrum to market as soon as possible?
• What approaches to the award of bands has been seen across member states where auctions have taken place, and how have these differed to 3G and 4G awards?
• What options are available to regulators when looking to develop licencing frameworks for 5G, and to what extent should commercial private 5G networks be considered to help meet the many varied use-cases of different vertical sectors?
• What similarities and differences to approaches with regards to private licences have been seen across member states, and to what extent is there a need for co-ordination and harmonisation in approaches to deliver vertical connectivity?

As we have just seen, work across Europe is continuing on the award and allocation of spectrum in the pioneer bands. At the same time however, attention is already moving on to other options to provide the required connectivity for 5G and beyond. A range of different bands have been discussed as options to be considered for this (600MHz, 2.3GHz, 2.6GHz, 3.8 – 4.2GHz, 6GHz, 10GHz, 28GHz, 40GHz, 66GHz amongst them). As we look further ahead, technological advances could also mean that there will be options available to start exploring the use of bands in frequency ranges that have never been considered before, for example in the THz range). This session will look at the challenges and opportunities that are offered by some of these bands, and at which offer the most realistic options to provide the required large contiguous blocks of spectrum that are required for 5G. It will discuss the amount of additional spectrum that is truly required to meet current and future demands for connectivity and enable Europe, and at how this can be identified in a way that also takes into account the needs of other key users.

• Beyond the pioneer bands and spectrum that has already been identified, how much additional spectrum and bandwidth for 5G is actually required?
• What new options exist in the low, mid and high range frequencies to meet these requirements, and how can the spectrum needs of satellite, broadcast, WiFi and other key stakeholders also be taken care of?
• How does the situation vary in a global level with regards to new spectrum bands that are being identified and used for 5G? How can Europe work with international partners to ensure a co-ordinated approach?
• How can it be ensured that the connectivity needs of all emerging new use cases and scenarios are met? To what extent should regulators be looking to reserve any frequencies specific for use by vertical sectors?
• As we move beyond 5G, to what extent do advances in technology mean that spectrum frequencies that have previously been thought of as being on the edge of the usable spectrum range (for example above 95GHz) now offer options to be considered?

An opportunity for audience members to bring their audio and video feed live and give their final thoughts and event conclusions.