In order to accelerate the development of 5G, and in particular in the industrial world, the State is targeting €1.7 billion in public and private investment until 2025. The executive "will mobilise €480 million in public funding to support priority projects between now and 2022, and is aiming for up to €735 million in public funding between now and 2025 in order to mobilise, through a leverage effect, up to €1.7 billion in investments between now and 2025", said Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Industry, at a press conference on 6 July.

The problem for the government today is not to deploy 5G infrastructure but to accelerate the development of 5G use cases. In September 2020, the State has already selected 18 projects that will receive 83 million euros of public money, for a total investment of 260 million euros.

Three other projects have been announced and will receive €10 million of public money: a machine-to-machine communication (mMTC) project led by the engineering and consulting company Médiane Système, a network acceleration card from the Grenoble SME Kalray, and a building ventilation and heating control solution from another Grenoble SME, Adeunis.

The public funds will come from France Relance, the plan to support the economy after the Covid-19 crisis, and the 4th programme for future investments. The government estimates that this effort to stimulate 5G applications could create 20,000 new jobs by 2025, and bring the 5G market in France to 15 billion euros by that date.

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Source : FrenchWeb.fr

According to the latest figures published by the Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR), France now has 25,105 authorised 5G sites, of which 14,284 have been declared technically operational by operators.

Up 3.7% over one month, the increase in the number of 5G sites owes much to the legacy of past networks - and especially 4G. The ANFR points out that "almost all of these 5G installations have been authorised on existing sites already used by 2G, 3G or 4G technologies" and that only two mobile sites in France host only 5G.

According to operator statements, 56.9% of the 25,105 5G sites authorised at the end of May are technically operational. The main trends of the deployment carried out in a scattered manner by the operators to date are now emerging.

Free confirms its attraction for the 700 MHz band for accelerated coverage of the territory. 16,683 5G sites are counted in this frequency band, of which 9,584 are declared technically operational.

Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR have adopted similar tactics. The three operators rely on the 2.1 GHz band, which is already used for 4G. At the end of May, they had 8,376 authorised 5G sites in this band, with 3,973 declared technically operational.

However, operators are not forgetting about the "queen band" of 5G, the 3.5 GHz band, as they seem determined to move on to this specific 5G band.

The ANFR counted 8,550 authorised 5G sites in this band at the end of May, of which 3,973 were declared technically operational. This bodes well for the further deployment of the new generation of mobile technology.

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Source : ZDnet

This financing agreement is the first of its kind between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French operator. The aim is to support the deployment of Bouygues Telecom's 5G network, "including in rural areas", and to increase its mobile radio network capacity "fourfold" by 2026, the EIB said in a statement.

Bouygues Telecom plans to invest €1.5 billion in the rollout of its 4G and 5G networks and in the fibre market, where the operator plans to win over 3 million additional customers. The group hopes to increase its subscription revenues by at least 40% over the next five years while increasing its profitability.

"Bouygues Telecom has great ambitions for mobile and 5G in the years to come and wants to help open up regions by reducing the digital divide. The European Union Bank's support for this vast industrial project is a validation of our choices and confirms the relevance of our strategy," said the operator's deputy CEO Christian Lecoq, quoted in the press release.

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Source : Le Figaro

5G has given rise to many fantasies even before its launch in France. However, the French National Agency for Health Safety (Anses) considers that there is no public health risk associated with the deployment of 5G to date.

It must be said that while the new mobile standard promises to speed up our communications, it currently uses several frequency bands: those between 700 MHz and 2.1 GHz, already used by 3G and 4G, a new band allocated to operators in November 2020 and in a few years' time, the 26 GHz band.

For the first two frequency bands, already used for 3G and 4G, there are no new risks. After several studies carried out upstream for the deployment of 5G, the Anses explains that it is "unlikely at this stage that the deployment of 5G in the frequency band around 3.5 GHz will constitute a new health risk".

On the other hand, for the 26 GHz band, which has not yet been allocated in France, the organisation is more moderate: "At present, the data are not sufficient to conclude whether or not there are health effects".

The government welcomed these reassuring results, considering the deployment of 5G as "a turning point in innovation". However, 5G is not yet completely out of the woods. For several months now, the High Council for the Climate had been warning that the new connectivity standard was "likely to significantly increase" the carbon footprint of the digital sector, which is already one of the biggest polluters in the world.

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Source : Journal du Geek

Arcep published its observatory of commercial 5G deployments on April 14th. As of March 31th, operators have commercially opened 12,917 5G sites, including 2,838 in the 3.5 GHz band. While analysis of the operators' curves shows that no one is neglecting the fifth-generation technology, not all are moving at the same pace.

With nearly 13,000 sites open in 5G in France at the end of March, mobile network deployment is steady. In just a few months, operators have secured coverage for millions of potential subscribers, and Arcep is even talking about "steady progress for the first few months of 2021."

Orange has activated the most sites and antennas in the 5G "core band" with 1,105 sites in 3.5 GHz. The incumbent operator is also supporting this deployment with 2.1 GHz technology (medium frequencies), enabling speeds equivalent to 4G since it exploits a band already in operation. By 2023, this middle band will provide access to new 5G services in current 4G areas.

Free Mobile continues to do well. Although the operator founded by Xavier Niel has activated fewer 3.5 GHz sites than Orange (824 vs. 1,105), it is the operator that has opened the most sites in France: 8,074 in total, i.e. 1,030 additional sites in one month, compared with 338 for Orange.

Unlike its three competitors, Free is still betting heavily on low frequencies (700 MHz). More than 7,000 sites have been opened in this band, which has lower bandwidths but has the advantage of penetrating buildings better.

As for the other two operators. Bouygues Telecom is still ahead of SFR, and even Orange in the total number of sites, from a statistical point of view. The operator - a subsidiary of the French construction giant - has activated a total of 2,263 sites, including 491 in 3.5 GHz and 2,091 in 2.1 GHz.

In terms of the number of 5G sites opened in 3.5 GHz, SFR is on a par with Bouygues Telecom with a total of 418. But the operator with the red square is clearly behind for the additional sites. Indeed, it has commercially opened 778 sites in 2.1 GHz. That is a total of 1 196 activated 5G sites all frequencies combined. This places SFR quite far from its first competitor.

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Source : Clubic

On March 9th, the European Commission unveiled its vision "for a successful digital transformation of Europe by 2030". A series of objectives to be met in less than ten years, such as the availability of all key public services on the web or the increase in skills of individuals.

5G is one of these objectives. Mobile broadband is gradually arriving on the Old Continent and Brussels wants this new technology to be available in all populated areas by 2030.

According to the European Commission, 14% of populated areas will be covered by 5G by 2021. A figure that may seem high given the very recent nature of this standard. But the wording chosen by the European executive excludes uninhabited areas, which in fact evacuates large parts of the continent from the calculation. Nine years would therefore be enough to fill the remaining 86%.

But countries are free to go faster if they wish. In France, the entire network could be in 5G by 2030. This is in any case the perspective that the former president of Arcep, Sebastien Soriano, has drawn in 2019. A first step will have to be taken in 2025, with two thirds of the population covered.

The timetable for 5G contains several appointments, depending on the imperatives of territorial planning (coverage of major transport routes and more rural areas) and the circumstances of current events (like the Summer Olympics Games in 2024). In addition, the regulator will provide additional licenses to operators to operate additional frequencies.

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Source : Numerama

The 5GMED project, led by the European Commission in the framework of the H2020 programme, should provide a model of sustainable 5G deployment for future mobility on the Mediterranean corridor between France and Spain.

The services tested rely on a wide range of technologies in addition to 5G, such as cloud/edge computing and artificial intelligence, to provide advanced connectivity services on transport routes.

Through 4 pilot projects on the railway line and motorway between Figueras and Perpignan, 5GMed will develop cross-border 5G application scenarios, advanced services for connected and automated cooperative mobility (CCAM) and future rail mobile communication systems (FRMCS).

With a budget of €16 million, 75% financed by the European Commission, the project will be launched in September 2020 for completion by November 2023.

The infrastructure will thus enable four use cases: remote automated driving, advanced traffic management, continuity of commercial rail services at border crossings and infotainment with augmented reality for autonomous vehicles and rail.

Initially tested on three small-scale sites, the final integration and validation of the use cases will then be carried out on the cross-border section between Figueras and Perpignan.

Led by Cellnex Telecom, the consortium brings together 21 members from 7 countries representing the telecommunications sector, the transport and mobility sector, technology and solution providers, consulting service providers, research institutions and organisations in favour of mobile and digital transformation.

The Mediterranean Corridor is an essential axis for the competitiveness of the companies and territories of the great European south-west. It is also a strategic corridor for France which is of interest for freight traffic to Northern Europe, Spain, Italy and Central Europe. This route will also contribute to the new Silk Road rail link between Europe and China.  

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Source : IT Social

The telecoms regulator has published a new timetable for the continuation of the 5G frequency allocation procedure in the 3.5 GHz band. It will therefore be between September 20th and 30th.  Bouygues Telecom, Free, Orange and SFR, which qualified last February following a call for applications, will participate.

At the end of the procedure, they will each obtain a 50 GHz block in return for 350 million euros per head and a number of deployment obligations. In early autumn, the main auction will allow them to complete this first block by winning one or more 10 GHz blocks. This will be followed by an auction to position the resulting frequencies in the 3.4-3.8 GHz section. The Arcep indicates that the final allocation of frequencies will take place "in October or November". Operators will thus be able to market their future 5G packages "by the end of the year".

However, in the end, operators will not be obliged to provide 5G coverage in at least two major cities before the end of 2020. The delay in the procedure has led the telecoms police to lift this obligation accompanying the first 50GHz block. The marketing will be done "at the initiative of the operators" even if the Arcep promises to remain attentive to the conditions of marketing of the new network and the promises of the operators.

The first obligation will therefore be to deploy 5G on at least 3,000 of their sites by the end of 2022. Operators will also have to distilled at least 240 Mb/s on 75 % of their sites into 4G+ by the same deadline.

This is a reminder that the specifications have been drawn up so that the deployment of 5G and 4G coverage of territories go hand in hand. It is also a response to Bouygues Telecom and SFR, who recently balanced the deployment of the 5th generation network against the need to improve 4G coverage in rural areas.

At the same time, Arcep also intends to respond to growing concerns about the environmental impact of digital technology. Within the framework of a new platform called "for a sustainable digital environment", "associations, institutions, operators, digital companies, personalities" are invited to contribute to it during a series of thematic workshops starting on July 9th.

A report by the end of the year will provide an opportunity to take stock of this work and will propose the "first avenues for taking the response to environmental issues further", which the Authority intends to make a "new chapter in regulation".

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Source : DegroupNews

As expected last September, Iliad confirmed its choice to turn to Nokia for its 5G telecom infrastructure. A total of 17 million subscribers in France and Italy are potentially concerned to switch to this latest generation mobile technology when the time comes.

"The Iliad Group will install Nokia's latest radio access technology, AirScale, enabling it to take advantage of the first 5G networks while supporting 4G/LTE and 5G in the same radio access system," said the Finnish equipment manufacturer.

The technology supports different network topologies, from distributed, centralized and cloud-based RANs. The OEM points to its speed and ease of installation and 60% energy savings as well as backward compatibility with its Flexi base station controllers.

In addition to Iliad, Orange has also chosen Nokia - alongside Ericsson - for the deployment of its 5G network. In particular with its Single RAN technology coupled with network automation and management tools and associated professional services in the regions.
 

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Source : Le Monde Informatique

The deployment of 5G has become an international geopolitical issue. And the spokesman for the Chinese embassy in France is concerned about "recent reports in several French media that the competent French authorities are considering taking restrictive measures against Huawei in the deployment of 5G in France".

It recalls that the French President and senior officials have stated in this press release that, with regard to 5G, "France would not take discriminatory measures against any specific country or company, nor would it exclude Huawei".

These fears of espionage are unfounded for China. "In reality, Huawei's 5G equipment is totally reliable and has never presented any technical or security risks, nor left any 'back door'," said the spokesman.

China says it is counting on France "to take concrete action and create an open, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from all countries, including China".

Last Friday, Orange announced that it had selected European groups Nokia and Ericsson as equipment suppliers for the deployment of a 5ᵉ generation mobile network in metropolitan France.

Within the French telecoms sector, the prevailing sentiment is that the French authorities want to ban Huawei from the 5G market but will not say so publicly.

For its part, the European Commission has published its directives refusing to exclude the Chinese group, while allowing member countries to ban equipment manufacturers they deem to be "high risk".

Several operators say they fear that excluding Huawei will lead to delays and additional costs in the deployment of 5G.

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Source : Challenges

In a report published with the European Agency for Cybersecurity on securing 5G networks, the European Commission warned EU Member States of the dangerousness of new wireless telecommunications technology. For the Commission, the deployment of 5G risks "creating a new security paradigm that requires a reassessment of the current policy and security framework applicable to the sector and its ecosystem and is essential for Member States to take the necessary mitigation measures".

In more detail, this report calls for a review of the current design of 3G and 4G networks and warns against the use of a single supplier, particularly those not based in the European Union, without however mentioning the name Huawei. "The increased role of software and services provided by third party providers in 5G networks leads to greater exposure to a number of vulnerabilities that may result from the risk profile of individual providers".

The European Commission also explains: "While 5G network technology and standards will also bring some security improvements over previous generations, several important challenges arise from new features of the network architecture and the wide range of services and applications that may in the future depend heavily on 5G networks. [...] Major security breaches, such as those resulting from poor software development processes among equipment suppliers, could facilitate the malicious insertion of intentional backdoors into products by actors and make them more difficult to detect. This can increase the likelihood that their exploitation will have a particularly serious and widespread negative impact".

The report adds that EU Member States should not judge 5G network providers solely on their technical qualities and assess them on the basis of "non-technical vulnerabilities related to 5G networks", such that the provider's country has "no legislative or democratic control and balance in place, or in the absence of security or data protection agreements between the EU and the given third country" or that the structure of the provider's owner and the ability for its own country to "exert any pressure, in particular with respect to the manufacture of equipment". If Huawei's name is not mentioned, it is impossible not to think about it...

As a result, Huawei once again defended itself against any interference from the Chinese authorities: "We are a 100% private company, 100% employee-owned, and cybersecurity is a top priority: our end-to-end cybersecurity assurance system covers all process areas, and our solid experience proves that it works".

No one is saying that the Commission will respond to this extended hand, since it has apparently also decided to sweep away another option proposed by Huawei. Indeed, the Chinese manufacturer had indicated that it could be satisfied with intervening only on parts considered less sensitive in the future 5G networks of EU Member States.

The European Union's next steps will result in the publication of a range of mitigation measures to address the identified cybersecurity risks at the national and EU levels by 31 December 2019. Finally, Member States should assess the effects of the Recommendation in order to determine whether further measures should be taken by 1 October 2020. This assessment should take into account the results of the coordinated European risk assessment and the effectiveness of the measures.

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Source : ZDnet