Chinese vendor ZTE and Austrian telco Drei have announced a partnership to use real 5G technology for digitization, tourism and the environment in Austria’s state of Carinthia.
As a result of the declaration of intent, live operation of 5G technology in Pörtschach/Wörthersee began on August 13, the two companies said.
“While others are still talking about ‘5G ready,’ the digital future in the flagship region of Wörthersee is already a reality. With the start of the fifth mobile radio generation in Pörtschach, Drei will offer a more efficient Internet supply for Carinthian households and companies. The support of innovative regions is a large request to us, as 5G helps to reduce the digital divide between the city and country and creates important new impulses for tourism, transport, medicine and agriculture,” said Jan Trionow, CEO of Drei Austria.
Through interactive showcases, visitors will be able to enjoy a 360-degree, live view of the “Wörthersee” tourism region with virtual reality glasses and enjoy high-speed transfer speeds of up to one gigabit per second with a live demo of the latest 5G smartphone from the ZTE Axon 10 Pro series. Meanwhile, intelligent lighting masts in Austria and autonomous driving systems were put into operation in Pörtschach/Wörthersee in 2017, in cooperation with the project “Smart Urban Region Austria Alps Adriatic”, or SURAAA.
“With the introduction of 5G in Pörtschach, we are enabling the future of telecommunications in Carinthia by pointing out the promising future opportunities by means of smart applications,” said Christian Woschitz, CEO of ZTE Austria. “Thus, the existing cooperation between ZTE and the state of Carinthia, together with our long-standing partner Drei, will be raised to the next level.”
Earlier this year, ZTE and Hutchison Drei Austria partnered to develop and deploy what they said was Austria’s first operational 5G network.
The 5G network in Linz was first available to selected business clients. For the showcase in Linz, ZTE and Hutchison Drei activated a total of 20 5G sites. Previous 5G tests in Austria were conducted using in-house networks, consisting of one 5G site only. Hutchinson Drei Austria is aiming for full 5G coverage of the city and other regions throughout Austria.
“We would like to invite companies, institutions and municipalities throughout Austria to contact us with project ideas,” Drei’s CEO Jan Trionow said at the time.
