Belgian 5G is going ahead: what is possible, what to expect, and when?

With the legal framework agreed and the spectrum auction planned for Q2 2022, Belgian 5G is finally a certainty. But will it be more like a train, with tracks that must be built before organisations can truly benefit? Or a plane that, once take-off is achieved, cruises smoothly at high speed, low latency and with a high number of devices connected simultaneously?

At our N-Sight, we took a look at what is already possible with Belgium’s 5G, but also what we can expect and when. Beltug is convinced that the biggest direct advantages of 5G are for the business market, and that this will lead to improvements in the consumer market, as well.  While speed is important, low latency, slicing and the possibility for a high number of devices connected simultaneously are the real game changers in the move from 4G to 5G.

Prof. dr. ir. Sofie Pollin from KU Leuven started us off with a comparison of 4G and 5G latency, slicing and the possibility for a high number of devices connected simultaneously. Then, Gaetan Dewingaerden from Proximus embedded 5G in the broader tech evolution and the way forward. Wouter Van Tilborg from Orange used several customer examples to link 5G with digitisation and shed light on the present and the longer-term evolution. Finally, Jos de Wit from SES talked about using 5G to integrate non-geostationary satellites in your network.

Beltug is keeping a finger on the pulse of the topic, including publishing a Position and an Opinion paper (in Data News) on 5G.

The presentations and recording of the event are available to Beltug members (after login).

• KU Leuven presentation: An analytical look at 5G latency, slicing and connectivity
• Proximus presentation: How 5G creates a world of new possibilities
• Orange presentation: The most innovative thing about 5G? What we’ll do with it.
• SES User story: 5G for non-geostationary satellite