en.Wedoany.com Reported - The twelve large-scale 5G pilot projects funded under the fourth call of the European Union's Connecting Europe Facility Digital (CEF Digital) are divided into two areas: 5G corridors and smart communities, each receiving approximately €53 million in EU funding. Six flagship projects focus on transport corridors and smart communities, aiming to advance standalone 5G technology from the testing phase to practical application, marking a shift in Europe's 5G strategy from coverage to services, and striving to transform public infrastructure into digital platforms.
CEF Digital is a tool for deploying strategic connectivity infrastructure in Europe, focusing on cross-border networks, standalone 5G, edge cloud, and digital services for regions, businesses, and public administrations. The goal remains to achieve full 5G coverage in densely populated areas by 2030, with 5G seen as key infrastructure enabling automated mobility, logistics, healthcare, civil protection, tourism, and regional cohesion.
In the transport corridor area, projects revolve around the Trans-European Transport Network. 5G must ensure service continuity, low latency, and support for cross-border critical applications. The 5GACE project installs and tests standalone 5G technology in the border region between Slovakia and the Czech Republic, coordinated by Slovak Telekom, with EU funding of €3.35 million. The WAVEO project focuses on the Eastern Mediterranean corridor between Romania and Bulgaria, covering 310 km in Romania and 10 km in Bulgaria, coordinated by Wings Ict Solutions, with EU funding of approximately €6.38 million. The 5GBEAM project aims to achieve uninterrupted 5G coverage along approximately 424 km from Modena, Italy, to Kufstein, Austria, coordinated by Brenner Autobahn AG, with EU funding of about €8.7 million. The 5G HSL Eurolink Works project involves the high-speed rail section from Paris to Brussels, totaling 243 km (approximately 155 km in France and 88 km in Belgium), planning to build permanent passive telecommunications infrastructure, coordinated by SNCF Réseau, with EU funding exceeding €21.1 million.
In the smart community area, the 5GConnect project expands high-capacity 5G services in northern Portugal, involving the Douro River waterway and municipalities across four inter-municipal communities, coordinated by DSTelecom, with EU funding of approximately €7.83 million. The 5mart Ho5pital project builds a hybrid standalone 5G network for the Bordeaux University Hospital Center, equipped with indoor antennas and edge cloud capabilities, covering five geographic sites and 18 buildings, planning to deploy ten use cases across seven medical services, coordinated by Bouygues Telecom, with EU funding of about €11.32 million.
These projects show that European 5G is being positioned as a component of specific industrial chains rather than a general-purpose technology. Its value depends on activating measurable use cases in railways, highways, hospitals, waterway navigation, tourism, and regional services. The shift from coverage to services requires establishing sustainable operational models among operators, transport managers, local authorities, hospitals, and technology suppliers. Meanwhile, cross-border applications impose regulatory requirements for interoperability, spectrum management, security, and common standards.
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