“Everybody and everything will be using 5G networks to communicate in the future. And I’m very glad that we managed to sign the declaration,” Estonian Minister for Entrepreneurship and IT Urve Palo (SDE) said. “This indicates that all the member states are thinking about the future, and are willing to boost connectivity and take Europe’s digital competitiveness to the next level. 5G will allow faster Internet connections across Europe and make it possible to develop new technologies, such as connected cars, innovative industrial machines, and eHealth initiatives, for example,” Palo added.

By 2020 there will be an estimated 26 billion connected devices, and 70 percent of people will own a smartphone. 5G will make up the backbone of the EU’s digital single market industries of the future, modern public services and innovative applications such as connected cars, smart homes, and mobile health services.

The declaration outlines the steps that member states will need to take to encourage the introduction of 5G and related services across Europe. It also emphasises the need to create the right preconditions, including e.g. the availability of the necessary signal bandwidth and cross-border frequency coordination.

The declaration was signed by 28 telecommunications ministers of EU member states as well as Norway.