EU member states are considerably behind with the 5G rollout and new impetus is needed to boost the deployment of 5G as a new global wireless standard for mobile networks, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report published on Monday.

The auditors examined whether the EU support to member states effectively contributed to achieving the timely implementation of safe 5G networks.

“Member States have experienced considerable delays in implementing their 5G networks, which is jeopardising the achievement of the EU’s objectives in terms of access and coverage.
In parallel, further efforts are needed to address security issues in 5G deployment in a consistent and concerted manner,” the report said.

It said that 5G services are essential for a wide range of applications that benefit many sectors of the EU economy and citizens’ daily lives.

“It is estimated that 5G could add up to €1 trillion to EU GDP between 2021 and 2025, with the potential to create or transform up to 20 million jobs. While 5G provides many opportunities for growth, it comes with certain risks: the limited number of vendors able to build and operate 5G networks increases dependency and the risks associated with interference by ‘hostile state actors’,” the ECA said.

It recalled that in its 2016 action plan, the European Commission set a deadline of 2025 for 5G to be rolled out across all urban areas and all major transport routes. In March last year, it set a further target of achieving EU-wide 5G coverage by 2030.

However, the auditors observed that only half of the member states have included those objectives in their national 5G strategies.

“The Commission has supported Member States in reaching these goals through different initiatives, guidance and funding. But it has never clearly defined the expected quality of 5G services. This could lead to inequalities in access to and the quality of 5G services across the EU, further widening the ‘digital divide’,” the auditors underlined.

“Across the EU, up to €400 billion will be spent by 2025 on developing 5G networks to support the future economic growth and competitiveness. But with many Member States lagging behind, the EU is still far from reaping the benefits 5G offers”, said Annemie Turtelboom, the member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report.

“Moreover, Member States’ approaches towards 5G security, and in particular the need for concerted action, remains an issue of strategic importance for the EU’s technological sovereignty and the single market,” she added.

All member states except Cyprus, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal met the 2020 intermediary objective of having at least one major city with 5G access. But many EU countries are not on track with the deployment of their 5G networks.

The Commission considers that for sixteen EU countries, the likelihood of achieving the 2025 goal is at best medium (Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia), and at worst low (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Greece).

By November 2021, 23 member states had still not transposed the EU Directive setting deadlines for the assignment of 5G pioneer bands, among other actions. At the current pace of implementation, the auditors stress that the EU objectives for the current decade are very likely to be missed.