Imagine you want to build a new video streaming app that runs over 5G, but setting up your own 5G network just to test it would cost a fortune. This project built an open testing playground — like a shared workshop — where any company can plug in their media app, run it on real 5G networks, and see if it actually works before going to market. They validated everything with 3 real media use cases across 2 rounds of testing on actual 5G testbeds in Spain and Norway. The whole thing is designed so that small companies, who normally can't afford 5G infrastructure, get the same testing power as the big players.
Building and testing 5G-powered media applications today requires access to expensive 5G network infrastructure that most companies — especially SMEs — simply cannot afford. Without real-network validation, apps hit unexpected problems at deployment, delaying time to market and increasing costs. Companies need a way to test on real 5G networks without the capital investment of building their own.
The project built an open, cloud-based Experimentation Facility integrating 2 real 5G testbeds (CTTC and Telenor), a DevOps Testing-as-a-Service environment, a reusable open-source NetApps Repository with APIs, a cross-domain service orchestrator, QoS/QoE monitoring tools, and a security layer with software-defined perimeter protection. All validated through 3 media use cases over 2 testing cycles on 3GPP R.16 and R.17.
If you are a media company struggling to test your 5G-enabled live streaming or immersive video services without owning expensive 5G infrastructure — this project built an open Experimentation Facility with DevOps-based Testing as a Service, validated through 3 media use cases over 2 testing cycles on real 5G testbeds. You can prototype and validate your app without building your own network.
If you are a telecom company or NetApps developer needing to validate network applications across different 5G releases — this project created a cross-domain service orchestrator and reusable NetApps repository with open APIs, tested on both 3GPP R.16 and R.17 releases. This cuts your integration complexity and lets you ship validated apps faster.
If you are a cloud or edge computing company looking to offer 5G-ready services but lack access to real 5G validation environments — this project developed an elastic, secure multi-tenant execution environment with QoS/QoE monitoring and analytics tools, backed by 49 deliverables and validated by 18 partners across 9 countries. You get a ready-made platform to certify your services.
The project data does not include specific pricing for facility access. As a publicly funded Innovation Action, the platform was designed for open access by 3rd party experimenters, particularly SMEs. Contact the coordinator to discuss current access terms and any associated costs.
The facility was built as an elastic, multi-tenant environment running on 2 established 5G testbeds (CTTC in Spain and Telenor in Norway). It was validated through 3 media use cases with 2 scenarios each over 2 iterative testing cycles, demonstrating capacity for concurrent experiments across different domains.
The project includes an open-source NetApps Repository with reusable components and open APIs. Vertical-specific and vertical-agnostic NetApps were developed for consumption by application developers. Specific licensing terms should be discussed with the coordinator, IQUADRAT INFORMATICA SL.
The project closed in June 2024. Based on available project data, the Experimentation Facility and its tools were fully built and validated. Whether the testbeds remain available for new experimenters post-project should be confirmed directly with the consortium.
The facility was specifically designed to reduce integration complexity. It offers ready-to-use APIs, a DevOps environment for Testing as a Service, and reusable NetApps that application developers can consume directly. The 9 SMEs in the consortium successfully used these tools, suggesting reasonable onboarding effort.
The facility was validated on both 3GPP Release 16 and Release 17, which were the latest standards during the project period. The architecture is based on open cloud APIs designed for incremental upgrades as new releases emerge.
The security component includes software-defined perimeter protection and isolation of NetApps in the multi-tenant environment. While not a certification body itself, testing on standards-compliant 3GPP R.16 and R.17 testbeds helps demonstrate regulatory alignment for 5G deployments in Europe.
The 5GMediaHUB consortium is unusually strong for business relevance: 10 out of 18 partners are industry players (56% industry ratio), and 9 are SMEs — meaning the tools were built by and for the kind of companies that would actually use them. The 5 research organizations and 2 universities provide the technical backbone, while 13 of the 17 partners brought direct experience from previous 5G-PPP projects. The consortium spans 9 countries (Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, Cyprus), giving the platform broad European network coverage. The coordinator, IQUADRAT INFORMATICA SL, is itself a Spanish SME, which signals practical commercial orientation rather than purely academic output.
IQUADRAT INFORMATICA SL is a Spanish SME that coordinated the project. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to discuss facility access or technology licensing.
Want to test your media app on real 5G infrastructure without building your own? SciTransfer can connect you with the 5GMediaHUB team and help you evaluate whether their experimentation facility fits your development roadmap.
