- Delays threaten the EU’s 2025 5G targets
- Regulatory issues and infrastructure gaps persist
What happened: Europe faces 5G deployment challenges as 2025 deadline nears
As the 2025 deadline for 5G connectivity approaches, Europe is grappling with significant deployment challenges that could impede its ability to meet ambitious targets set by the EU. Darryl Brick, VP of Partner Sales at Ericsson for EMEA, highlighted the urgency of addressing these issues.
The EU aims to provide 5G coverage in urban areas and along major transport routes by 2025, as well as ensure that key institutions such as schools, universities, and hospitals have access to gigabit connectivity. However, data reveals that Europe is falling behind other regions in terms of deployment pace.
The European Court of Auditors‘ (ECA) 2022 Special Report identifies several key challenges, including fragmented national strategies, regulatory hurdles, and slow allocation of spectrum. These obstacles have contributed to delayed rollouts and a lack of coordination across Member States.
The EU’s ambition of achieving universal 5G coverage is further hindered by varying levels of infrastructure readiness and investment across countries. According to Brick, the urgency to overcome these issues is critical to driving innovation in sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics, which rely heavily on advanced connectivity.
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Why it’s important
The EU’s 5G objectives are crucial not only for economic growth but also for enabling key digital transformation in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. The ECA report notes that 5G deployment is essential for meeting the digital infrastructure needs of the future, and its delays could hinder Europe’s competitive edge on the global stage.
Furthermore, without widespread 5G coverage, the digitalisation of vital services such as education and healthcare may be delayed, negatively affecting public services. While the UK and other Member States have promised improved connectivity, the outcome will depend on how quickly and effectively these challenges are addressed.
Achieving 5G connectivity by 2025 is seen as a vital step for the EU to remain competitive globally in the digital economy, and missing this target could have long-term consequences for the region’s digital transformation goals.
