Innsbruck is First 5G City in Austria

Innsbruck is First 5G City in Austria
Fotolia

Two radio cells in T-Mobile Austria’s network are already showcasing the future of communications. The systems in Innsbruck are the first in Austria and among the first in Europe to operate largely according to the new 5G standard.

Using the preliminary version of the final 5G standard, the network in Innsbruck delivers record-breaking transmission rates of two gigabits per second and a latency of just three milliseconds. Super-fast network response times and extremely high bandwidths are the biggest advantages of 5G, now being showcased in Tyrol’s capital city.

T-Mobile is using the frequency spectrum in the 3.7 gigahertz range coupled with equipment from technology partner Huawei and fiber-optic infrastructure of Innsbruck’s municipal companies for its first live 5G operations in Innsbruck. A 5G pre-standard forms the technical basis for the network in the Austrian city. This means that T-Mobile's specifications are very similar to the global 3GPP standard for 5G New Radio.

In Innsbruck, T-Mobile will be showing what the specific use of multigigabit data rates and low latency times will look like, taking a virtual-reality application by way of example. A 360-degree camera with 8K resolution transmits images to VR glasses, providing the user with an all-round view. The user has the impression of standing where the camera is. High-speed data rates are essential to support real-time transmission of the high-resolution 360-degree images to the VR glasses. Rapid latency is required for the reaction time between glasses and camera in order to change the viewing angle as the user moves their head and, in turn, the VR glasses.

With Europe’s inaugural 5G drone flight, T-Mobile is demonstrating with technology partner Huawei that next-generation mobile communication is fast enough to control a drone in real time, and also transmit a high-resolution camera image of the drone. While drones can already follow a programmed flight route, it has not been possible so far to control drones efficiently using mobile communication. The use of 5G opens up an all-new dimension in innovative drone applications, which may even help save lives one day.

5G provides a fertile environment for the economy as a whole and will help retain industries of the future in Austria. An A.D. Little study calculates what impact 5G development in Austria will have on the overall economy. The optimum scenario involving a 5G pioneer would provide the largest growth potential: Estimates cite an additional contribution to GDP of 4 billion euros a year, equivalent to 1 percent growth in GDP, and 35,000 extra jobs. If Austria trails behind in the 5G stakes, the economic forecast looks accordingly gloomy.