5G adoption in European Union is falling behind US and China, risks missing 2025 target, report says

A study from the European Court of Auditors said EU members should to step up efforts to deploy 5G and address related security issues

A majority of member states are set to miss a 2025 target for urban area coverage because of a failure to do things like assign radio spectrum

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A 5G sign placed at the Orange booth during the Mobile World Congress 2021 in Barcelona, Spain, on June 29, 2021. Photo: AP

Published: 10:05am, 25 Jan 2022Updated: 8:34pm, 25 Jan 2022

As the United States grapples with the 5G roll-out affecting airlines, a European Union watchdog warned on Monday the EU faces much bigger economic and security threats unless member countries step up cooperation.

The alarm bells are included in a special report on the 27-nation bloc’s preparations for 5G, the fifth and next generation of wireless communications. 5G is projected to propel the world into a new digital age – one with greater technological innovations but also vulnerabilities.

The study by the European Court of Auditors has a two-pronged clarion call, saying Europe is falling behind North America and Asia in the roll-out of 5G networks and the EU needs to beef up its strategy to counter accompanying national-security risks.

“There are considerable delays in the member states’ deployment of 5G networks and further efforts are necessary to address security issues in 5G deployment,” the Luxembourg-based ECA said in its 69-page evaluation.

In the US, the start of 5G telecommunication services has prompted airlines to complain about possible interference with planes’ navigation instruments and disruptions to air travel.

The world is rushing to install 5G infrastructure as a result of its higher data capacity and transmission speeds, which promise to transform everything from car driving and livestock farming to sports broadcasting and goods manufacturing.

In this race with high economic stakes, EU nations are moving too slowly because of a failure to do things such as assign radio spectrum for 5G services, according to the ECA.

It said a majority of the bloc’s member states is set to miss a common roll-out target fixed for 2025, when they are supposed to ensure uninterrupted 5G coverage in urban areas and along main transport routes.

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