AMSTERDAM: Maximising Potential 5G Output

There are countless transport-based projects running under the Amsterdam Smart City initiative including Vehicle2Grid, an electric vehicle power backup system; a ridesharing and carpooling platform called Toogethr, and a large-scale project to use electric vehicles for freight transport designed to cut emissions in the city to zero by 2025.

As these projects are either operational or underway, separately, KPN has created four separate 5G labs in the country, including one based in the Zuidoost Amsterdam neighbourhood.

Together with Nokia, 5G applications are being tested, including the creation of massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) networks and antennae in busy areas. Automotive tests are also being conducted for the purposes of real-time communication between vehicles, matrix signs and traffic lights.

T-Mobile has also recently activated a massive MIMO antenna in Amsterdam to provide the infrastructure required for the 5G rollout, leading to an increase in capacity of 600%. While the focus is on bolstering mobile device connectivity, the network can also be used to cover smart vehicles and data gathering.

0 emissions by 2025

600% increase in 5G infrastructure capacity

T-Mobile says that future 5G services in the city will be used to support self-driving cars and to manage data collected from sources including smart vehicles, smart cameras, and connected street lights

A spectrum auction which will allow telcos to further expand their 5G tests in the Amsterdam is due to launch in 2019.