First 5G connection of VodafoneZiggo established

VodafoneZiggo has established its first 5G connection in the Netherlands in the Maastricht area. The provider collaborated with Ericsson, who provided the base station for the connection.

The base station, which is located near Maastricht, uses a test license on the 3.5 GHz frequency, reports NU.nl. This is the first time that a 5G test has been performed outside the laboratory. Users with a 5G device near the base station can now actually send data over a 5G connection in the network.

The first connection is intended as a test for the construction of a larger network. After the summer there should be a bigger test in Eindhoven. The test in Maastricht is a blueprint for that.

In the test in Eindhoven, the frequency can be used for pilots with a social impact for everyone in the city. VodafoneZiggo, Ericsson, Philips, GGD ambulance service and Catharina hospital, for example, use the connection to provide remote assistance during an ambulance ride in the diagnosis and preparation for treatment.

Three providers

In June, the government announced that at least three telecom providers would eventually be able to buy and use 5G frequencies. In this way, there must be healthy competition.

The frequencies can be purchased from the end of 2019. There will be auctions at the end of this year or the beginning of 2020 and at the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022. The telecom providers will have access to a maximum of 40% of the total number of available frequencies, including the current licences.

The government has also set requirements for the new, faster connection. Mobile coverage must be achieved on 98 percent of the surface area of each Dutch municipality. In addition, there must be a minimum speed on the extreme edges of a mobile network.