From the MWC in Barcelona: Driving the 5 G revolution forward - Main contents

The motto of this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is "Mobile is everything". Many applications have already or will soon become mobile. 5 G is the key technology in this: it is the essential network infrastructure for the digital transformation of our economy and society, for connected cars, the Internet of Things, e-health and many other real-life applications.

My vision for 5G which I presented at the MWC in 2015 is not only about more speed and more bandwidth for mobile but about building the communication platform that will power the digital revolution. This means that public services, utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, and farming will all be using 5G networks to deliver new, smart products and services based on next generation connectivity.

The 5G public-private-partnership we announced at the MWC back in 2013 has brought together telecom sector and experts from other industries to discuss how 5G technology can match the expectations of many industrial sectors.

However, it is not enough simply to develop technology: 4G technology was made in Europe but first deployed in Asia and the United States. Telecom operators will not invest in new networks in Europe if it does not make economic sense. The Digital Single Market which we are building will ensure that 5G technology will benefit industry and customers in Europe, mainly because it will provide a large scale.

Support for investment in Europe for 5G networks needs to start now. We need to take a close look at the necessary framework conditions and incentives that can lead to the deployment of the underlying network infrastructures. And we need to make sure that there will be industrial players who are ready to invest in 5G services.

This discussion must not only include EU telecom operators and equipment manufacturers but also representatives from key industries. We are starting already with the area of connected cars, and I hope to hear some progress next week from our roundtable on that issue.

However, our 5G action plan for Europe needs eventually to cover all sectors if we are to secure our leadership in 5G technologies, deploy new networks in time and most importantly to contribute to the digitalisation of European industry and society.

The race is on: we have four years to make it happen. With everybody on board I am confident that we will be successful.