The Hague to Deploy Full 5G Coverage

According to a recent announcement, The Hague will be the first Dutch city to receive full 5G coverage. This will enable the city to further expand its Smart City ambitions, according to the statement from Saskia Bruines, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of The Hague and Søren Abildgaard, CEO, T-Mobile Nederland. T-Mobile Nederland reportedly is to start the roll-out of 5G in The Hague this year.

In a Smart City, new digital applications are used to support the government and citizens and the introduction of 5G will likely play an important role. In addition to higher speeds from the mobile data network, 5G also enables simultaneous connection of many more devices to a network.

Equipping the city of The Hague with good connectivity will enable the municipality to push through further innovations in safety, mobility and the use of public spaces, the city said. Resolving social problems is a key issue here, with the aim of developing a safer, more efficient and more sustainable city. T-Mobile and the Municipality of The Hague will be collaborating in various 5G pilots in the city in advance of the 5G roll-out. T-Mobile is providing the connectivity for this large-scale 5G experiment, expected to be completed by 2020.

Abildgaard said, “Together with the municipality we are searching for partners within and outside the city to test 5G applications that benefit the city and its residents. We are working together to investigate how we can offer residents, students and companies the best possible access to 5G and stimulate innovation in The Hague. In this first phase, we will be working on 5G applications regarding logistics and industry. This includes applications that improve the city’s accessibility by offering extremely local traffic and parking information, based on a fast and reliable 5G connection.”

“The Hague is facing a tremendous growth challenge in terms of residents and employment in the coming years,” said Bruines. “The arrival of super-fast mobile internet will open many new doors for The Hague residents and companies. By being the first city to switch fully to 5G, The Hague is demonstrating its pioneering role in this area. This is important for the business environment and for employment in the city. The development of new digital innovative concepts is crucial to ensure that the city remains accessible, sustainable and liveable. Of course, during these developments we’ll continue to focus on issues such as safety and health.”

An initial important step within the project is the establishment of a new 5G Field Lab. This lab will be designed to offer schools and companies the opportunity to experiment with 5G-based applications. To ensure that applications really are workable on 5G, T-Mobile Nederland is offering local 5G connectivity and support experts. 5G events will also be organized regularly by T-Mobile’s Future Lab. Interested parties can obtain help and support in developing their own applications and in testing concept designs.