Testbeds for the Implementation of 5G in the European Union: The Innovative Case of the 5G-DRIVE Project

Abstract

An essential part of the actual EU policy towards promoting and validating 5G applications and of related solutions is via the establishment of an explicit plan and of a detailed roadmap for trials, tests and experimental activities though dedicated testbeds, in parallel with the current research and development activities coming from the 5G-PPP framework. The present paper discusses the fundamental role of the proposed trials' initiatives within the broader European framework for the establishment and the promotion of 5G and also analyses the corresponding streams as indispensable parts of the 5G-PPP context, aiming to support innovation and growth. In addition, as part of the broader initiative for trial actions we identify the case of the 5G-DRIVE project that aims to realise 5G deployment scenarios (i.e., enhanced Mobile Broadband and Vehicle-to-Everything communications), between the EU and China, by discussing the fundamental features of the respective trials sites.