Telecom Italia became the latest operator to declare a 5G first, stating it had switched on Europe’s first antenna compliant with the latest 3GPP specifications in San Marino.

In a statement made alongside partner Nokia, the operator hailed the “important milestone,” adding the whole of the republic would be covered by 5G by the end of 2018.

This, it added, would make San Marino the first 5G state in Europe – meeting a target outlined by Telecom Italia back in July 2017.

The antenna uses MIMO technology on 3.5GHz spectrum. However, Telecom Italia (TIM) is also testing the use of millimetre wave spectrum in its lab in Turin with the intention of eventually trialing 5G services over both frequencies in the microstate.

Nokia and Telecom Italia plan to make San Marino an outdoor laboratory for a wide range of new services running over 5G. Potential use cases include smart city deployments, public safety systems and digital tourism initiatives.

The race to 5G is becoming increasingly intense throughout the world with operators and vendors alike laying claim to a number of firsts.

In Europe, Deutsche Telekom said in May it had deployed the first 5G antennas on the continent in Berlin – based on non-standalone 3GPP standards. A month later Finnish operator Elisa said it was the first operator in the world to begin commercial 5G use.