5G Coverage Along Transport Corridors - Studies

As of 2021, there were no operational 5G corridors in Europe. However, large-scale trials for testing, demonstration, and validation purposes have been conducted at different locations across Europe, with the support of European and national/local public funding.

As such, inception studies will be funded under this call in order to prepare the actual works of the next big waves of deployment to be launched after the conclusion of the studies; a call for deployment is planned for 2023.

Individual studies covering several deployment projects (e.g. in the same geographical area or encompassing several transport modes) are encouraged, if relevant.

This topic targets preparatory actions for envisaged deployment projects that support investments in challenging areas, where market forces alone will not deliver 5G services with the necessary quality of service, and focus on key European transport paths, including but not limited to, the indicative list of 5G corridors in part V of the the Annex to the CEF Regulation 2021/1153.

The priority for this call will be to support investment in cross-border sections involving two or more Member States, but additional sections considered relevant from a European perspective are equally in the scope of this call.

The corridor that is subject to the study must cross at least one border between two Member States. The length of the corridors envisaged for deployment or study on both/all sides of the border may vary, depending on national circumstances including means of transport, geographic situation and maximum size of the project/EU funding.

Combining several deployment projects for the same or different calls, e.g. combined by region, is encouraged in this call.

The use of sharing models for both passive and active infrastructure to increase the efficient use of funds provided under this programme is also encouraged. Sharing of both passive and active equipment by network operators (e.g. through a neutral host model) should aim at substantially reducing network deployment costs and at the same time facilitating the energy efficient use of resources when deploying and operating 5G infrastructure. In addition, wherever possible, existing infrastructure such as ducts, fibre, equipment shelters, power supply and utility poles should be used.

Cross-border sections that are complementary to national 5G corridor sections already planned for deployment by the private sector or identified under RRF or other national programmes in line with state aid rules, are particularly encouraged in this call in view of their additional potential impact at an early stage.

The studies should deliver the following elements:

• Exact location of the corridor, including the different cross-border sections.
• Detailed definition of service requirements along the corridor allowing for business continuity across borders.
• Full network planning including the spectrum bands used.
• A plan to enable uninterrupted service across the cross-border sections funded. Concrete deliverables enabling to specify and financially quantify the investment required for infrastructure deployment, including coverage and service capabilities, use of existing infrastructure (backhauling including fibre, power, buildings and other constructions for co-location, ground space and other associated facilities and services).
• Coordination mechanisms to ensure business continuity across the border, in particular regarding spectrum management and numbering. This includes a description of the scenario(s) and processes to guarantee a network hand-over meeting targeted CAM service requirements.
• Cost calculation and a cost-benefit analysis to identify economically viable and non-viable sections of the corridor where CEF-funding of 5G connectivity infrastructure deployment would be needed and justified according to the guidance set forth by the Commission in its Work Programme.
• Timeline of the work plan for deployment of subsequent works (finalisation of network planning, permit requests, preparation of works, works, testing, service launch).
• Network upgrade plans according to an evolutionary path enabling a densification of radio networks that would allow moving towards higher levels of automation, if possible up to full automation (e.g. level 5 in automotive).
• Definition of the cooperation model(s) between the different members of the consortium outlining the roles and responsibilities of each involved party in the deployment project, including financing, ownership, infrastructure deployment, network sharing agreements – if any, network operations and commercial service provision.
• Definition of the processes enabling coordination and synergies between funding of works under CEF Digital 2021-2023 and RRF where appropriate, as well as in combination with any other relevant public funding programmes at EU, national and regional/local levels that could be used for the purposes of this first phase of deployment work or subsequent projects.
• Identification of financing solutions for subsequent phases (based on the roadmap described above) possibly using a mix of grants and loans, e.g. under the CEF Digital blending facility.

Please consult the Call document for more information on the scope, including the requirements that should be met by the corridors that are subject to the study.

Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to prepare for 5G corridor work that will contribute to a wider plan to deploy uninterrupted, end-to-end 5G connectivity throughout the entire CEF corridor covered by the proposal, in synergy, where appropriate, with national actions, such as those identified under RRF.

The study should propose key parameters that will best describe the different features of the proposed 5G corridor, including the aggregate length of the corridors covered by 5G, the spectrum bands to be used along the sections, the inter-radio site distance, the availability of various service features along transport routes, service continuity across the border, as well as the available performance such as data rate and latency for each vehicle as a result of CEF Digital support.

Enabling the use of sharing models for both passive and active infrastructure, which is encouraged in this call, aims to increase the efficient use of funds provided under this programme. Sharing of both passive and active equipment by network operators (e.g. through a neutral host model) should aim at substantially reducing network deployment costs and at the same time facilitating the energy efficient use of resources when deploying and operating 5G infrastructure. In addition, wherever possible, existing infrastructure such as ducts, fibre, equipment shelters, power supply and utility poles should be used.