BROWSING: EC

Sateliot gets €30m from EIB to expand NB-IoT satellites – as first services go live

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a €30 million loan to Barcelona-based startup Sateliot to co-finance the rollout of its constellation of over 100 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, geared to provide non-terrestrial NB-IoT extensions for low-power IoT applications in remote environments. A statement...

“Not for companies, not for the state” – five things to know about the European AI Act

The new Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) sets a common regulatory and legal framework for the development and application of AI in the European Union (EU). It was proposed by the European Commission (EC) in April 2021 and passed in the European Parliament last...

Boldyn to deploy ‘first private 5G hopsital in Europe’ in Oulu, Finland

UK-headquartered shared network specialist Boldyn Networks, via its newly-acquired Edzcom division, is to supply a private 5G network to Oulu University Hospital in Finland. Edzcom, a pioneer in the private networks market, also based in Finland, has received funding from the European Commission as...

What is Industry 5.0? (And what’s the beef with Industry 4.0?)

The first plenary session at IoT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC) in Barcelona last week saw an address by the European Commission about Industry 5.0. Say what? Industry 5.0? What about Industry 4.0? Are we done with that already? Are we finished with this process...

Europe sets binding 2030 targets to boost digital skills, infrastructure, industry

European countries are now required to jointly develop and measure progress on digital skills, digital infrastructure, and digitalisation of both private industry and public services. A new ‘monitoring and cooperation’ mechanism obliges EU member states to collaborate on the development, implementation, and measurement of...

Europe announces major release, review of public-private 5G funds to spur economy

The European Commission has published a major review of funding for 5G-based and 5G-related industrial transformation, including €10 billion of new public-private partnership (PPP) funding to drive the region’s digital and green agendas, and a series of “ambitious” recommendations to raise venture funding in...

Key EU smart farming project claims advances in IoT interoperability, data sharing

The European Commission has published the results of its Internet of Food and Farm (IoF2020) project, one of three large-scale pilots it has funded in the agricultural sector as part of its Digitising European Industry (DEI) policy. It has delivered hard returns, around interoperability...

5G should cover 70% of industrial sites by 2025, tech sector tells EU leaders

By 2025, 5G connections should cover 40 per cent of Europe’s workforce, 70 per cent of its industrial sites, and 80 per cent of its main logistics routes. This was the message from DigitalEurope, the trade association for the European tech industry, at the...

European Commission signs off €82m for 20 smart city projects in 17 countries

The European Commission has made €82 million available to 20 smart city projects to design technology solutions for urban security, digital transition, urban land use, and urban poverty. The investment, from a total European Regional development Fund (EDRF) budget of €372 million for urban innovative...

Europe reveals four-step AI plan, €20 billion AI funding target, €66m robotics fund

The European Commission (EC) has stepped up its strategy to foster AI in the region, with a four-step plan and a target of €20 billion of private and public investments by the end of 2020, and €20 billion per year afterwards. The EC will contribute...

Europe seeks to hamonise 900MHz band for next-gen IoT and RFID devices

The European Commission (EC) will make usage of the 900MHz band for short-range devices consistent across all member states. The move will make the 874-876 and 915-921 MHz bands a default frequency for applications related to smart cities, smart homes, smart farming, transport, logistics...

Nokia mainlines 5G for industrial transformation in Europe with €500m loan deal

Nokia's new €500 million loan from the European Investment Bank for 5G research and developnent will boost the region's drive for industrial and economic transformation, as US and Asian markets push ahead. Nokia told Enterprise IoT Insights 5G will shift the European economy up a...

Retro-fits, recycling and data: How Stockholm became Europe’s greenest city

Stockholm is a ‘lighthouse city’, alongside Cologne and Barcelona, in the European Commission’s GrowSmarter project, one of three to receive support in the first ‘Smart Cities and Communities’ (SCC1) call under the Horizon 2020 funding stream, the biggest innovation fund in Europe, with €80 billion allocated through...

EC proposes €51.6bn for new industrial transformation tech and infrastructure

The European Commission (EC) has proposed a total budget of €51.5 billion for new technologies and network infrastructure under its next funding cycle, from 2021 to 2027, to drive industrial transformation and technological leadership across the region. As part of two separate proposals, it has...

EC offers cities Wi-Fi vouchers in €120m drive for free public internet access

The European Commission (EC) is inviting municipal authorities to apply for €15,000 vouchers to finance Wi-Fi equipment and installation in public spaces. Vouchers worth €17.75 million in total will be made available to 1,183 municipalities in European Union (EU) member states in the next...

Barcelona and Bristol selected as Europe’s first 5G smart cities

The European Commission (EC) has established 5G test-beds in Barcelona in Spain and Bristol in the UK to trial of consumer oriented 5G applications. A further €2.2 million has been readies to fund new 5G test-beds in further European ‘smart cities’ over the next...

White House convenes AI summit with US tech leaders, as Europe forges ahead

The White House has convened a meeting today (May 10) of 40 leading tech firms to discuss policy issues related to artificial intelligence (AI), including workforce development, regulatory barriers, and sector-specific applications. The move follows a glut of state-sponsored European AI initiatives in the...

Transport for London hands out first drone licence for railway maintenance

Transport for London (TfL) has appointed UK civil engineering firm Lanes Rail to carry out maintenance work on the London Underground network using drones, as their usage in industrial settings increases. Lanes Rail is responsible for maintaining and repairing a wide range of assets across...

Brexit-bound UK follows EU with its own £1bn AI stimulus

The UK government has announced a £1 billion ($1.4bn) joint investment to stimulate the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The deal includes £600 million of additional funding, comprising £300 million of private sector investment from 50 technology firms, matched by £300 million of newly allocated...

EC raises Horizon 2020 funds to €1.5bn, calls for extra €20bn AI cash

The European Commission (EC) has increased its Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding to €1.5 billion for the period through to the end of 2020, as it attempts to raise €20 billion from the European governments and private enterprises to stimulate the artificial intelligence...

From drone-mounted AI to smart-city blockchains: five EU innovation projects

In the face of rising political disruption, the European Commission (EC) has in recent weeks redoubled its innovation schedule with new commitments to artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and digital healthcare applications. Here, we pick five of its best Horizon 2020 projects, covering everything from drone-mounted...

Brussels wants “hard cash” for digital change to keep pace with US, China

The European Commission (EC) has called for both national governments and private enterprises to contribute to the region’s digital transformation programme from 2021. If new finances are not secured from regional administrations and private sources, the progress the region has made with data privacy...

Europe agrees major blockchain partnership and DNA data-sharing deal

The public sector in Europe will come to depend on blockchain technology. This was the claim by the European Commission (EC) as it announced major cross-border deals on blockchain and digital healthcare to address challenges of fragmentation and interoperability, accelerate the launch of new...

Europe hails transcontinental 5G road network for testing driverless cars

Brussels claims a pan-European network of 5G-enabled roadways, stretching hundreds of kilometres, is emerging, as new countries confirm cross-border testing of 5G-enabled driverless cars. The European Commission will provide €50 million for new autonomous driving projects in support of the new 5G roadways. “This will...