wiredinUSA July 2020

High rise extension

Call for review of France’s 5G auction

Image courtesy of innogy Renewables

innogy Renewables is planning to build an extension to the Gwynt y Môr wind farm. Awel y Môr, around 10km off the coast of Wales, could comprise up to 107 wind turbines of up to 332m high — a little taller than the Eiffel Tower. As a comparison, the Gwynt y Môr turbines are 150m high and the current tallest wind turbine in the world is around 250m. A spokesperson for the company said: “innogy has begun work to scope the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a potential extension to the Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm. Work is in the very early stages, with an application for consent not expected to be made until 2022 following extensive environmental and technical assessments, and consultation with the public and other interested parties.” innogy has made it clear that the final number and height of wind turbines specified for the project will depend on turbine technology at the time. “Offshore turbine models are continuously evolving and improving; therefore, the exact wind turbine model will be selected, post- consent, fromthe rangeofmodels available at the point of procurement.” If turbines of the maximum suggested height are available, the number of turbines involved would probably reduce by half.

Bouygues Telecom is calling for greater focus on delivering connectivity in rural areas before switching to 5G, and has officially requested that France’s 5G auction be delayed by six months. Group CEO Martin Bouygues is recommending that the process does not proceed until late 2020 or early 2021. At the core of the company’s argument is the belief that there is still significant work to be done to improve the nation’s LTE coverage for underserved customers. France’s 5G auction, as with many others in Europe, has been delayed by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. In April, the French regulator ARCEP said it would be delaying the final stages of the auction process, proposing either the second half of July or early September. Since then, no further timetable has been announced. Many countries, such as China and recently South Korea, are promoting rapid growth in 5G as a core element to their national economic recovery post-COVID-19. However, with 5G much less mature in France this factor is less significant, leading Richard Viel, Bouygues Telecom CEO, to suggest that an additional six month delay to the 5G auction would have little effect on the national economy.

wiredInUSA - July 2020

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