In summer 2019, Monaco became the first state to achieve full 5G network coverage. The roll-out of this fifth generation mobile telephony standard by operator Monaco Telecom and its longstanding partner Huawei seeks to address the saturation of the 4G network in the face of rapidly expanding usage.
A highly controlled regulatory and health framework surrounds the introduction of this technology: the maximum limit for exposure to radiation in the Principality is below that of the strictest European standards (6 V/m).
At least 10 times faster and more powerful than 4G, 5G technology will facilitate the integration of digital into every sector of the Monegasque economy: energy, health, the media, industry, transport, and so on.
Among the new digital applications that 5G will open up are the development of remote surgery and driverless vehicles.
Numerous other applications are already envisaged. Monaco’s Fire and Emergency Service hopes to use the technology to improve its responsiveness and victims’ chances of survival.
Firefighters are getting ready to use surveillance drones equipped with high-definition cameras, and a pre-diagnostic app that is connected to the hospital and can be used at the scene of an accident.
After “2G, which was the spearhead of this mini-revolution in our wireless communications, […] 3G, which introduced the era of mobile internet […] and 4G, which transformed our phones into actual computers and led to the emergence of a platform economy […] in Monaco, 5G is the promise of a better quality of life for everyone and some incredible economic opportunities,” says Frédéric Genta, Country Chief Digital Officer.
The 5G roll-out is the first pillar of the Smart Principality, as part of the #ExtendedMonaco programme.
The health of Monaco’s residents is our priority. The comprehensive adoption of the ANSES and WHO standards on exposure to electromagnetic radiation and the creation of the strictest standards in Europe offer proof of this commitment.
Frédéric Genta, Country Chief Officer for Attractiveness and the Digital Transition, at the 5G launch.
Martin Peronnet, Managing Director of the operator Monaco Telecom, explains the uses of 5G and how it offers a competitive advantage for the Principality.
5G is a logical development in mobile networks, which are increasingly geared towards the transport of “data,” facilitating Internet use by all sectors of the public. Individuals use their smartphones for an average of 4 to 6 hours a day. Banks’ mobile apps have become their main channel for customer relations. New economic players, such as Uber and Deliveroo, manage their entire fleet of delivery drivers and customers entirely via a mobile application. Faced with this exponential growth in usage, the capacity and efficiency of networks must be improved to avoid saturation and to optimise the energy they consume. This is what 5G does.
This technology also enables other, more specific uses, which will gradually become widespread. For example, it can be used to control a production plant, or maintain installations remotely without having to connect each element via a fibre. For these applications, 5G is fibre without the need for cabling.
Monaco Fire and Emergency Service is certainly the most prepared for the possibilities offered by 5G. They have already equipped a drone with a connected 360° camera. By flying over fire or disaster scenes, it will guide their operations in real time. The second phase of this project is currently under development: it aims to transmit real-time, 3D-augmented reality information to firefighters in the field, thus increasing their efficiency.
Many projects using real-time 3D hosted in the cloud are being developed. This is thanks to the start-up company Vizua, which has chosen to set up its business in Monaco … because of our pioneering network. 5G is therefore contributing to the attractiveness of the Principality.
All the players involved with this new network have been surprised by the genuine concerns that have emerged – the frequencies used were known (similar to WiFi, for example); the technologies were developed with the aim of transporting more information with less energy, and emission threshold levels were not increased with 5G.
There was certainly a combination of factors that led to this concern; a misunderstanding of the notion of a “more powerful” network, leading to the idea that it had greater emissions, the fear of an over-connected world, and references to new so-called “millimetre” frequency bands, which are not in fact used.
In France, the ANSES (National Health Safety Agency) has again taken up the subject of electromagnetic waves; it concluded a few weeks ago that 5G does not represent a specific risk in the way in which it is deployed today.
