EC urges mobile industry to have 5G rollout plans ready by 2015

EC vice president pushes the next generation of connectivity

Technology firms and governments across the world need to act together in order to speed up the arrival of 5G mobile connectivity, according to the European Commission (EC) vice president responsible for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes.

Speaking at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, she said the introduction of 5G technology would help stimulate the growth of high-tech industries relying on the Internet of Things, augmented reality and smart cities.

In her speech, she said the industry should set 2015 as a target for laying out a plan for the 5G standard and agreeing a timeline for its rollout.

"I launch a challenge to you, Europe's 5G leaders, and to all the other regions of the world, from America to Asia," she said. "Let's find a global consensus on the scope of 5G, its main technological constituents, and the timetable for putting it in place. Let's work this out together. And let's work it out soon: by the end of 2015. So all our citizens can get the 5G boost as early as possible."

Kroes commended the industry for its commitment to the standard, claiming that more than €3bn had already been spent on research and innovation projects in addition to the €700m pledged by the EC in 2013.

The telecoms industry has previously faced significant criticism from the EC, with Kroes lambasting the speed at which 4G has been rolled out. In her MWC talk, she underlined the importance of 4G to the market.

"5G does not mean that we can do without 4G," she said. "Indeed, 5G will only be deployed on a large scale many years into the future; it needs 4G and 3G networks to get there. In fact it will also probably still need 2G networks, and WiFi too."

Many tech firms and researchers are working on 5G technology, and mobile device giants Samsung and Huawei have both promised that they will have functional 5G services rolling out by 2020.