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\nEurope\u2019s third-smallest state, San Marino, is poised to be the first in the continent to roll out a 5G network. The 61-square-kilometer microstate, encompassed by Italy, will serve as a living lab for the network\u2019s services, launching public safety systems, digital tourism initiatives, and smart city deployments. Below, we\u2019ll examine how San Marino is paving the way for a new era of mobile technologies.-Bruno De Man\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
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Future of 5G<\/strong><\/p>\n Last year, San Marino signed a deal with Telecom Italia (TIM) to launch Europe\u2019s first antenna featuring the latest 3GPP specifications using MIMO technology. To increase the network\u2019s strength, San Marino will double the number of mobile masts, with plans to later deploy Nokia\u2019s 26GHz millimeter Wave kit. In partnership with\u00a0Nokia<\/a>, the entire republic will be a 5G state by the end of this year. According to San Marino\u2019s Secretary of State for Industry, Andrea Zafferani, in\u00a0RCR Wireless News<\/em><\/a>, 5G \u201cwill bring economic and social benefits to the whole community\u2026and will put the Republic of San Marino in a unique position among European states in terms of both technological innovation and the efficiency and quality of services offered to tourists and citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n Since the country relies heavily on tourism and banking, these are two sectors that will be affected by the\u00a0launch of 5G<\/a>, as the government works with various industries and local transport networks on smart city applications and virtual reality software designed to strengthen tourism. The network in San Marino will run on a 3.5 GHz spectrum, but TIM is in the process of testing 26 GHz transmission in Turin, Italy, with the hopes of rolling out these frequencies in the microstate. San Marino will conduct performance tests of network equipment and applications to help refine any issues before it\u2019s rolled out in neighboring Italy. As part of the agreement, San Marino will \u201creceive early access to services that will boost the local economy,\u201d\u00a0according to\u00a0TechRadar<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n While San Marino may be Europe\u2019s first state to receive 5G, Berlin was the\u00a0first city to debut 5G antennas<\/a>, and Finnish operator Elisa boasts it will be the first to offer\u00a0commercial 5G use<\/a>. The Finnish city of\u00a0Tampere<\/a>\u2014the home of Nokia\u2014is already positioning itself as a\u00a0frontrunner for 5G technology<\/a>, installing smart infrastructure and digital connections like modern fibre and mobile networks prime for 5G when it\u2019s ready to be rolled out.<\/p>\n