EuWireless · Project

Pan-European Mobile Network for Testing 5G Products Without Building Your Own

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Imagine you want to test a new connected-car app or a smart-factory sensor, but you'd need your own mobile network with licensed spectrum to do it properly — something only big telecom operators have. EuWireless designed a shared, Europe-wide research mobile network that any company or lab can plug into for realistic testing. Think of it like a co-working space, but instead of desks you get access to real cellular infrastructure across multiple countries. The project delivered the full blueprint — technical design, regulatory roadmap, business model — plus working prototypes for connected cars and indoor testbeds.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries covered (BE, DK, ES, FI, PL)

total deliverables produced

industry partners in consortium

50%

industry participation ratio

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies developing 5G applications, connected vehicles, and IoT devices face a costly barrier: testing on real mobile networks with regulated spectrum requires either owning expensive infrastructure or negotiating complex deals with commercial operators. There is no shared, pan-European testing network available for R&D purposes. This leaves innovators — especially smaller companies — unable to validate their products under realistic conditions before going to market.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered a complete design report for a pan-European mobile research operator, covering technical architecture, regulatory requirements, and a business model for sustainability. Working prototypes were built and validated for connected car testing, indoor testbed connectivity, and integration with the GÉANT European research network — across 14 total deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Telecom equipment manufacturers needing cross-border testing on licensed spectrumConnected car and V2X technology developers requiring real-network validationIoT device makers who cannot afford private mobile network infrastructureNational research networks looking to add mobile testing capabilities5G application developers targeting multi-country European markets

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Mobile equipment vendors and network solution providers

If you are a telecom equipment vendor struggling to test new products on live regulated spectrum without negotiating expensive deals with operators — this project designed a pan-European shared research network covering 5 countries. The validated prototypes include testbed setups that map to the GÉANT research network, giving you a ready path to realistic, cross-border testing of your hardware and software.

Automotive & Connected Vehicles

any

Target: Connected car technology developers

If you are developing connected vehicle applications and need to validate vehicle-to-everything communication on real mobile networks — this project built and tested a prototype platform specifically for connected cars. The validation covered indoor testbed connectivity and cross-border network scenarios across 5 European countries, exactly the conditions your products will face in production.

Industrial IoT & Smart Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: IoT platform companies and system integrators

If you are an IoT integrator deploying sensors and devices that depend on mobile connectivity but lack access to regulated spectrum for proper testing — this project's design report and prototypes offer a blueprint for a shared testing infrastructure. With 3 industry partners already involved in shaping the design, the platform was built with commercial deployment realities in mind.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access this testing infrastructure?

The project developed a business model for the pan-European research operator, but specific pricing is not published in the available data. Access costs would depend on the final implementation following the project's roadmap. Contact the coordinator for details on the proposed pricing structure.

Can this scale to support commercial product testing across Europe?

The design explicitly targets pan-European coverage using regulated spectrum across 5 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Poland). The project mapped its infrastructure to GÉANT, the existing European research network backbone, which provides a proven scaling path.

What about IP and licensing — can we use the designs?

EuWireless was a publicly funded Research and Innovation Action (RIA). The design report, regulatory analysis, and technical specifications are project deliverables. Specific IP and licensing terms should be discussed with the consortium coordinator at Universidad de Malaga.

Has this been tested with real use cases?

Yes. The project validated prototypes with use cases including connected cars testing and indoor testbed connectivity. They also successfully mapped GÉANT testbed services to the EuWireless infrastructure, confirming feasibility of the design.

What regulatory hurdles were addressed?

The project specifically tackled regulatory aspects of operating a research mobile network on licensed spectrum across multiple European jurisdictions. The final design report covers the regulatory roadmap needed for implementation. Based on available project data, this is one of 14 deliverables produced.

How soon could this become operational?

The project ran from 2018 to 2020 and delivered a complete design with implementation roadmap. The prototypes confirmed feasibility, but moving to full deployment would require follow-on funding and regulatory approvals. The project status is closed, so check for successor initiatives.

Consortium

Who built it

The consortium of 6 partners across 5 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Poland) is compact but geographically diverse — important for a project designing cross-border mobile infrastructure. With 3 industry partners and a 50% industry ratio, commercial reality was built into the design from the start, not bolted on as an afterthought. The coordinator is Universidad de Malaga, providing academic rigor, while the 2 SMEs in the consortium add entrepreneurial perspective. For a design-phase project, this is a well-balanced team that covers both the technical and business-model dimensions.

UNIVERSIDAD DE MALAGACoordinator · ES
DEKRA TESTING AND CERTIFICATION SAUparticipant · ES
TIMELEXparticipant · BE
PIETRZYK SLAWOMIRparticipant · PL
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
NORDUNET A/Sparticipant · DK

How to reach the team

Universidad de Malaga (Spain) — look for the telecommunications or network engineering department leads involved in EU infrastructure projects

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSIDAD DE MALAGA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how EuWireless testing infrastructure could accelerate your product validation? SciTransfer can connect you with the project team and help evaluate fit for your specific use case.

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