On December 11, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel welcomed the 5G conference participants in Luxembourg. While the first roll-out of 5G networks is about to start, the keynote speakers highlighted the latest developments and current trends that are awaiting us in the deployment of 5G. The conference was open to participants from very different backgrounds, who were invited to attend various workshops: C-level representatives from telecom and IT companies, experts and consultants, representatives from regulatory and public authorities as well as citizens and members of NGOs and students. The main part of the program was dedicated to interactive workshops. Following the success of last years’ edition, all participants had the opportunity to propose topics for workshops.

Participants choose between three different tracks:

Citizens – for participants with limited background information about the technology but a clear thirst to discover and discuss the utility of 5G

Project leaders and decision takers - who are familiar with 5G and who would like to challenge their vision of 5G with peers, but also with participants with various backgrounds

Technical experts - who regularly work on the actual deployment of 5G, interested to discuss technology, security, and practical challenges

The outcomes of these workshops served all participants to drive their current and future projects. The afternoon session of the second day brought the outcomes of the various parallel tracks together. Panelists from Luxembourg and the BENELUX shared their thoughts about the most likely development paths for the coming months.

Along with the main event, 80 students from local high schools also arrived at the 5G Conference, After introductory speeches, this group of young adults gained a global overview of 5G deployment, nationally and around the world. The second half of the day saw students joined a side workshop where they exchanged ideas with a dozen professionals representing various industries and organizations, such as CFL, KPMG, Post, SnT, ICT Luxembourg, UpFoundation, LIST, the Ministry of Agriculture, IMS, EY Luxembourg, Cube 4T8, Circl, Competence Center and more. During their discussions, students went even deeper into the specifics of 5G, spanning agriculture, cybersecurity, health, multimedia, and many others.