FGC joins the 5G Barcelona initiative to develop 5G solutions in railway networks

• This incorporation is the first step in equipping the FGC infrastructure in Barcelona with 5G technology

6 December, 2019

Barcelona, 6th December 2019.- FGC has joined 5G Barcelona, an initiative that works towards positioning Barcelona and Catalonia as an innovative and open environment for the validation and adoption of 5G technologies and applications in a real-life environment. The involvement of FGC in 5G Barcelona will provide for new approaches to the application of 5G in the railway environment. More specifically, it will allow for improvements to be made to railway logistics and applications for the end user.

The agreement was signed by Jordi Puigneró, Minister of Digital Policies; Ricard Font, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, and Carlos Grau, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona.

During the event, Minister Puigneró underlined the fact that behind 5G is an ecosystem that Catalonia wants and must be able to lead. “The Catalan Government is happy that we can start developing trials and pilot tests with FGC regarding future mobility. This will lead to jobs, wealth, and improved services for citizens”, the Minister indicated. Grau highlighted that the desire to make Catalonia a benchmark in terms of 5G is a step forward. “We are talking about one of the first 5G railway infrastructures in Europe. We are making Catalonia a benchmark open lab in Europe, with an infrastructure that can become ground-breaking”, he concluded. Lastly, Font reasserted his support for technology and innovation: “FGC wants to be a global test lab for the world. We are a company that has innovation in its DNA, and this adhesion is another step forward”.