How to approach 5G policies 3.4. 5G in the European and global context 5G is a relatively new technology. Countries usually first establish their 5G strategies, then allocate 5G spectrum, engage in trials, which are followed by commercial launches and eventually larger-scale deployments. Fig. 8 shows that countries such as Finland, the US and Korea as early adopters, which launched some form of 5G networks already in 2018. This was followed by China and a number of European countries in 2019. The European Union intends to have functioning 5G networks in all its member states this year. Fig. 8 | 5G development milestones 16 APRIL 2020 COMMERCIAL LAUNCHES 2018 2019 2019 2020 Source: The EU 5G Observatory by the European Commission, Directorate-General of Communications Networks, Content & Technology, using data from IDATE Digiworld, Note: data for March 2020 Europe has already performed nearly 200 5G trials involving its leading telecoms, equipment vendors and other tech companies. Over 3Gbps speeds were achieved, 5G was tested with Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), 360° live video and 4K video streams. A majority of these trials used frequencies in range of 3.5GHz. In terms of verticals, media & entertainment was most popular, followed by transport and automotive. About 5G 25