In order to meet the growing connectivity needs of both private and business customers, the Internet speed needs to be even faster and the latency even lower, for a growing number of users and connected objects. By 2023, 4G will have reached its limits due to the saturation of the current network. Every year, data connections increase by 40% and the 4G network will eventually no longer be able to handle the growing number of connections. 5G is also part of the digitalisation evolution in Luxembourg in general, as well as the development of POST’s “Network of the future”.

5G is a change of generation (the transition from 4G to 5G), which will offer very high-speed access, with very short latency times, which, in the B2C sector, will improve the customer experience and open up new opportunities for applications, for example in self-driving cars. Owing to its very high degree of reliability, 5G will also make it possible to set up remote control and command applications in many fields in the B2B sector, as well as in the health sector, for example in remote surgery and industrial automation, etc.

Compared to 4G, 5G will offer a connection speed that is 20 times faster and a response time that is 10 to 30 times shorter (latency).

5G has the potential to be up to 1,000 times more effective than mobile networks used in 2010 and up to 20 times faster than 4G.

Latency is the time it takes to respond to a request for action. This ultra-short latency time will be very important in the future use of 5G, such as in remote surgery for example.
The 5G network response time will be in the range of a few milliseconds, well below the 10 to 40 milliseconds with existing 4G.

The frequencies currently allocated for the 5G network are 700 MHz and 3.6Ghz. 5G will therefore use the same wavelength range as previous technologies, but in a more effective way, and is therefore less energy-intensive.

Today, the frequency spectrum used by 2G, 3G and 4G is between 800 MHz and 2600 MHz (2.6 GHz).

5G will be activated on frequencies very close to the current frequencies: 700 MHz and 3600 MHz (3.6 GHz).

Low frequencies (700-800 MHz) allow better signal penetration, unlike higher frequencies (3.6 GHz) which offer a higher capacity and speed but less coverage. That is why, for example, WiFi at 5 GHz does not propagate as well in homes as WiFi at 2.4 GHz.

In Europe, the 26 GHz band is planned for additional 5G capacity needs in the future. It is up to the Ministry of State to establish the time frame for allocating this band in Luxembourg at a later stage.

In the future, frequencies in the 26 GHz band could be used for temporary 5G coverage needs.

In Luxembourg, the limit for electromagnetic fields produced by a base station is among the strictest in Europe (3V/m per antenna in residential areas).

As for EMF ("Electromagnetic Field"), the authorisation process is very strict in Luxembourg. Each base station must be authorised by the authorities concerned (the Ministry of the Environment and ITM) which control the emission level.

4G will remain available and operational. Using 5G will be optional.

It is intended to replace the 3G network over the next years (>2022) with 4G and 5G technologies. We believe that 2G will remain available for a longer period of time, as a basic mobile technology.

Each mobile operator, holding a relevant frequency licence, is responsible for rolling out its own 5G network.

5G aims to meet a growing demand for data traffic via smartphones and communicating objects, which are growing in number and connected to the network. It can be used in a wide range of fields, such as in medicine, security devices, entertainment, the media, logistics, cars, industry, surveillance, e-gaming and e-sporting, etc.

5G should also promote cloud computing, integration, the interoperability of communicating objects and smartgrids and other smart networks, in an automated environment, helping to promote the concept of “smart city”. It may also contribute to the development of 3D image synthesis or holography, data mining, the management of big data and the Internet of Everything (an expression referring to a world in which computers and peripherals can communicate with each other).

On 16 October 2020, POST launched the first sites of its 5G mobile network on the territory of the City of Luxembourg and other pilot areas. POST's 5G coverage will be extended to other regions, including the Ettelbruck and Diekirch areas in early 2021, the urban areas in the south of the country during 2021 and then gradually the rest of the Grand Duchy.

The two technologies will remain available depending on the needs and situation of the users.