Europe lags behind in 5G rollout, study shows

According to an assessment report released by the European Industry Roundtable (ERT), Europe is "clearly lagging behind" in the launch of commercial 5G, with less than half of EU member states currently operating services.

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The document states that despite having two of the world's leading mobile infrastructure companies and being actively involved in the global rollout of the technology, Europe still lags far behind other world regions. The document also states that the impact is multifaceted, affecting citizens' access to faster connectivity, virtual and augmented reality services, and industrial competitiveness in areas such as artificial intelligence, B2B data sharing, cybersecurity and the Internet of Things.
ERT highlighted that among EU member states active on 5G, only 10 5G base stations have been deployed per million population, while South Korea has 1,500 base stations per capita.
In the process of upgrading 4G base stations to 5G, Europe has only upgraded 1%, while South Korea has only upgraded 98%. Finally, the assessment report emphasizes that the proportion of users using 4G networks in Europe in 2019 was about 70%, significantly lower than the United States, China and South Korea, which reached about 90%.
The report also noted that two-thirds of the EU27 have yet to allocate mid-band (3-5GHz) spectrum, while South Korea and China allocated this band in June 2018 and 2019, respectively.
“The acceleration of digital transformation experienced in the first half of the year provides a clear and timely reminder of why Europe urgently needs to invest in 5G rollout. Europe has the industrial strength to support 5G deployment, but as the latest assessment report shows, Europe lags behind other regions in both 5G commercialization and infrastructure. By spring of this year, only a third of EU countries had allocated mid-band spectrum, a result far behind South Korea, China and other countries. We must do better,” said Martin Lundstedt, Chairman of the ERT Digital Transformation Committee.
“To close the gap, we urgently need a ‘European Deal’ for the rollout of 5G – one that will provide a more unified approach to 5G spectrum, allocation and operations, and better regulatory incentives for private investment. 5G is at the heart of our digital future – digital will drive the energy transition, innovation and a whole new world of jobs. This will be essential for the success of the EU Green Deal. Everything is connected – that’s why this is a fundamental part of the equation,” added Lundstedt.
ERT also highlighted that Europe has been slower than other regions in terms of large-scale commercial services of 5G. For example, Verizon in the United States launched 5G commercial services using high-band spectrum in April 2019. In contrast, the first commercial services were available in only seven European countries three months later, and today there are still several countries without 5G commercial launches. Overall, only 13 EU member states have launched 5G commercial services, ERT said.