The Norwegian government said that a joint Nordic-Baltic 5G development strategy was agreed at the Digital North conference in Oslo on 25 April. The conference was held under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The agreement is subject to final confirmation from Lithuania.
The agreement says that 5G has the potential to bring substantial gains to the economy and society as a whole, and that the Nordic and Baltic governments will work together to support and facilitate a rapid development and deployment of the next generation of mobile networks and services region.
The Nordic-Baltic countries are at the forefront in electronic connectivity and use of digital services. They have stable regulations, high quality mobile networks, advanced industries and share common interests in providing efficient and safe digital services to the public, businesses and administrations.
The countries have small populations and domestic markets, but together, they cover 33 million people.
The Nordic-Baltic countries have agreed to support the development of 5G in the region, by Making more spectrum available in a speedy and timely manner, necessary for testing, research and commercial roll-out of 5G networks. They have agreed to cooperate with industry cross-nationally on LTE and 5G services, and to foster innovation and development of products and services using 5G networks.
They also agreed to foster participation by regional universities and public research programmes in developing new use of 5G services, and to promote early deployment in major urban areas and along major transport infrastructures
The countries also agree to promoting early deployments of 5G services in vertical sectors such as transport, energy, health, agriculture, industry, smart city and public safety. They will reduce reducing regulatory obstacles where possible, and increase awareness of 5G potential.
The three areas where is currently a need to exchange assessments, best practices and policy concerning LTE and 5G are for public protection and disaster relief, intelligent transport systems and connected and automated driving, and smart city services.
