The European Roundtable for Industry (ERT) have partnered with Global Counsel to produce a report on the state of 5G network rollouts across the continent. The review compares nationwide efforts with those of other countries around the world, and shows a lag in the European projects compared to their US and Asian counterparts.

The report goes in depth into the potential causes of this gap in performance. High and inconsistent infrastructure costs across European nations, lagging return on investment (especially when compared with the US and South Korea), and unavailability of the required spectrum have all contributed to the delays. This is added to a previous slow upgrade to 4G, which took place some three years behind other major economies.

However, and as the report lays out, there are huge opportunities ahead with the implementation of 5G technologies, not least after Covid-19 upended consumer behaviour globally. Europe is in a unique position to benefit from an effective 5G rollout, even if it is delivered later than elsewhere. See the full details in the report.