Orange Romania facilitates digitalization by introducing 5G/5G+ technology in new cities

Orange Romania recently launched 5G/5G+ services in new cities: Mioveni, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Sighetu Marmației, Bistrița, Alba Iulia, Sfântu Gheorghe, Sebeș. In addition, 5G/5G+ coverage was extended to 100% in Iași Municipality. The operator’s plans to bring the latest technologies to most of the national territory continue, with the aim of facilitating the digitalization of Romania. 5G/5G+ does not only mean higher speeds and a more stable connection, but also opening up new opportunities in developing cities in Romania and creating new local communities.

The launch of the 5G Standalone service in the Danube Delta (and for the first time in Romania) at the end of May is the best example of applying new technologies in a vulnerable community. The project, co-financed by the European Commission, through the Connecting Europe Facility program, primarily aims to improve the quality of life of residents through four main needs identified in the area: digital education, telemedicine, slow tourism and environmental monitoring. There are many areas in Romania where the population may not be in equally vulnerable situations, but where the opportunities that 5G/5G+ technology brings to the local economy, especially for young people, are multiple and long-lasting.

Orange Romania’s strategy for covering the national territory with 5G/5G+ technology, the company having the largest spectrum portfolio, is to accelerate the adoption of new technologies in all vulnerable areas but also in those with potential. On June 30, the first 5G/5G+ cells were launched in Bistrița, Alba Iulia, Sfântu Gheorghe, Sebeș, these being just a small part of this year’s expansion plans. The new technology paves the way for important transformations in the daily lives of citizens in these cities, by facilitating more smart homes, but also the implementation of Internet of Things and Smart City technologies related to education, health, energy, environment, electric cars.

How do you transform a city through digitalization?

In Iași Municipality, 5G/5G+ coverage was recently expanded to 100%. The city is one of the successful examples on the path to digitalization, slowly becoming a technological hub where new technologies can even be tested, starting from extended access to 5G/5G+. The most important project carried out by Orange Romania for several years now is Orange 5G Lab, in partnership with the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași. The project supports researchers, startups and companies from the Moldova region that want to test their 5G/5G+-based solutions in advance and innovate around this technology. The laboratory also runs two projects under the European Commission’s Horizon Europe program, which develop cyber and physical security applications based on 5G/5G+ connectivity.

Thus, within the TrialsNet project, a smart video monitoring solution for the Podu Roș intersection and the crowds on Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard in Iași was recently developed, a solution that can provide key information for the municipality in real time. Then, within the CASTOR project, the functionality of the smart intersection was extended with a pilot application for inter-vehicular communications (V2X) that uses innovative algorithms for encrypting the communication channel. Through the open call organized by the TrialsNet project in 2024, Orange and university partners, together with STS and EENA tested a Push-to-Everything (PTx) mobile application, developed by Nemergent, through which voice/video/text/files can be transmitted in an extremely stable and prioritized way over the existing communications infrastructure.

Four crucial scenarios were tested: fire, weather alert, earthquake, medical incident. In the meantime, an active partnership was signed with the representatives of Iași Airport to carry out joint development projects in the field of new Beyond 5G communication networks and their use for the development of air services.

But bringing these technologies to as many cities as possible means not only improved infrastructure and optimization of public services, research and business opportunities, but also the development of new economic areas. The simple implementation or expansion of 5G/5G+ services can greatly contribute to the creation of creative communities, which can be transformed into new 100% local businesses. Connectivity is a bridge for transforming passions and ideas into opportunities and jobs of the future or that use abundant local resources.