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The regulator’s latest announcement brings the number of private 5G licences allocated in France to 13

Back in March, French telecoms regulator Arcep announced a number of new measures to help manufacturers and other vertical industries to improve their access to 5G, including setting aside a block of spectrum in the 3.8–4.0 GHz band to be used directly for experimental industrial 5G use cases.

Since this announcement, Arcep has already allocated 10 localised spectrum licences to interested companies. Orange has the largest allocation, with three separate licences located in Charbonnières-les-Bains, Balma, and Paris

Additional licences are held by Bouygues Telecom, NTT, Transatel, Schneider Electric, Alsatis, EDF, and French research group CEA.

Each of these localised licences authorise the companies to use up to 100 MHz of spectrum in the dedicated band for a period of up to three years.

Now, French regulator Arcep has announced the new trio of companies to receive a licence following a successful applications process: the University Hospital Institute of Strasbourg, SNCF Réseau, and Capgemini.

The University Hospital Institute of Strasbourg is set to explore 5G’s ability to deliver “a new generation of smart operating rooms”, using private 5G to facilitate AI-assisted personalised and secure minimally-invasive operations.

The project is part of the wider “5G-OR” project, one of the four winners of the ‘Technical developments and application ecosystems for 5G private networks’ competition supported by the French and German governments.

SNCF Réseau’s application, meanwhile, relates to the ‘5G Living Labs” project, providing three separate locations within the city of Rennes for developers to develop 5G use cases.

Finally, Capgemini intends to enhance its existing 5G Lab in Issy-les-Moulineaux, using the additional spectrum bolster its current operations.

Arcep will continue to collect submissions for further allocations until the end of 2022.

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