CEF Highlight of the Month: 5G to enhance education

Already during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies have demonstrated to complement, improve, and in certain cases to completely change the way education is delivered.

The development of new sets of skills and competencies, as well as appropriate digital infrastructure and equipment have become crucial to support the transformation of the whole education ecosystem. The CEF Digital Programme, under the 5G and Edge Cloud for Smart Communities topic, funds actions across Europe to deploy early 5G and edge infrastructure that will help public authorities and providers of services of general interest to become smarter, more efficient, resilient, and able to adapt according to the evolving needs of people, the economy and the environment.

Education plays a key role in many projects funded by the CEF Digital Programme; several use cases have been designed to enhance the quality and relevance of learning and to strengthen inclusion.

5Genius – A next generation network for the University College of Ghent

The CEF-Digital funded project 5Genius will deploy a reliable, high-speed, and low-latency network infrastructure in the University College of Ghent that will allow students, researchers, staff, (student) entrepreneurs and local communities to excel in digital skills. With this project, the knowledge institution will shape the professionals of the future, creating an open, critical, and creative society that provides valuable contributions to the community and helping to build a better future for all.

5G4ASSAC - 5G 4 A Smart Sicilian Academic Campus

5G4ASSAC project aims at implementing a 5G Private Mobile Network (MPN) to support new approaches to education and training in universities and hospitals.

The project will develop the Mixed Reality (XR) Learning Platform, that will run on the implemented 5G MPN infrastructure, enabling immersive education experiences, anywhere and anytime, through AR (Augmented Reality) and real time, fluid collaboration made possible by 5G low latency and edge computing.

Flanders Smart Fields - 5G rural coverage for innovative healthcare services in the Westhoek

Flanders Smart fields aims to revive the socio-economic activities of the Westhoek region by enhancing digital accessibility through mobile services. This initiative will significantly increase the quality of life for the aging population but attract younger generations who prioritise work-life balance, a sharing culture, and digital connectivity. The project aims to leverage 5G technology to engage various regional stakeholders, including hospitals, to deliver innovative services, such as remote classrooms for students who are unable to attend classes in person. A dedicated broadband connection will allow students on sick leave, whether at home or in the hospital, to attend lessons remotely and actively participate in class. They will be able to interact with peers, ask questions, and share documents seamlessly.

TUKE 5G Infrastructure for Smart Communities

TUKE 5G project will deploy private 5G network elements at a university campus in Košice, Slovakia to enable access to quality education research and data intensive use case development and testing. This CEF Digital action will support the early deployment of 5G-based systems to develop practical applications for both industry and academic research, as well as educational activities that will allow students to get practical training in industrial technologies powered by 5G, useful for future job opportunities.

5G RURAL - 5G for rural smart communities of tomorrow

To balance quality of life, access rights, standards of public services and digital dimension of citizenship, connectivity is needed in both urban and rural areas. The 5G RURAL project aims at implementing a 5G infrastructure in the Alentejo region, Portugal, that will enable several smart communities’ services, including education. The project will put augmented and virtual reality at the service of schools. Students will be able to enjoy a state-of-the art learning experience, delivered through 360º tours and 3D interactive content. The tours will allow students to virtually explore museums and other cultural spaces, addressing the lack of cultural offerings in these rural areas, taking students to the most distant locations in a dynamic way.

Hi5 - High Connectivity via 5G

Hi5 is a visionary project for rolling out 5G technology in the Toulouse metropolitan area by 2025. It will deliver leading-edge connectivity to public services, building on the existing fibre-optic network and data centres. Among other innovative services, the project 5G infrastructure will strengthen the IoT educational platform to facilitate high-quality technical education.

Conclusion

Education, alongside healthcare, is considered a high impact sector. For this reason and in line with the Digital Decade 2030 targets, the CEF Programme funds projects that address connectivity gaps to create a high performing digital education ecosystem. These initiatives aim to modernise the sector and unlock digital skills across Europe by enabling innovative use cases.