INTERVIEW: Operators, more than anything else, require “investment certainty” to make the estimated €500 billion outlay into next-generation networks through to 2025, explained Peter Stuckmann, the European Commission’s head of future connectivity.

Stuckmann believes there needs to be a regulatory framework in place that “encourages investment” and that is the main theme the EC is currently working on providing on the road to 5G.

He said “investment certainty” comes in many forms, such as providing a comprehensive spectrum plan, “have the bands available early and have a consistent framework to bring all these plans to market”.

“We have challenges in mobile networks that we need to scale,” he said in an interview with Mobile World Live. “The ecosystem on top of these networks has strong network effects. This is therefore a prime example for member states to work together and have a common approach.”

Sticking with this theme, Stuckmann admitted that there was indeed a “race between the regions in the world to be first in 5G”, but he maintained that international cooperation – agreeing global standards and harmonised spectrum bands at global level – should be the priority.

In the interview, he also spoke of the benefits that 5G could have for the European economy, and in particular, its role in combatting high youth unemployment rates. Click here to watch.