Europe’s 5G standalone coverage is significantly trailing behind the U.S. and Asia, according to a new report from telecom lobby Connect Europe.
The report highlights that only 40% of the European population currently has access to standalone 5G, which operates independently of 4G infrastructure and is critical for industrial applications. This lags behind North America, where 91% of the population is covered, and Asia Pacific, where 45% of people have access to standalone 5G.
Meanwhile, non-standalone 5G networks in Europe, which still rely on existing 4G infrastructure, reached 87% of the population in 2023, up from 80% in 2022. However, countries like South Korea (99%), the U.S. (98%), Japan (97%), and China (90%) all report higher coverage rates.
The European Commission had set an ambitious target in 2021 for all EU households to be connected to 5G by 2030. However, Renate Nikolay, deputy director-general of the Commission’s digital unit, warned last year that the EU is falling behind other regions in connectivity, despite efforts to accelerate the roll-out of high-capacity networks. This slow progress in 5G coverage could delay the adoption of technologies that rely on fast internet, such as artificial intelligence.
According to the Connect Europe report, by the end of the decade, 8% of the EU population—approximately 45.4 million people—will still lack access to a fixed gigabit connection. This comes as Europe’s telecom sector saw a 2% decline in investment in 2023, with spending dropping from €59.1 billion in 2022 to €57.9 billion.
In response, the European Commission is preparing to introduce a proposal for a new telecom regulatory framework, the Digital Networks Act, which is expected to be released in the next year. The Digital Networks Act aims to tackle issues related to connectivity, spectrum, and investment. The initiative is being led by Henna Virkkunen, the EU Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, with the goal of boosting secure, high-speed broadband both fixed and wireless.
