5G Estuary Waterway

ongoing

The 5G Estuary project will build an un-interrupted 5G digital corridor of about 135 km connecting the Scheldt Estuary, its ports and the Albert Canal. The 5G digital corridor covers the port of Antwerp, Ghent, Zeebrugge and Liège, 4 of the most important ports in Belgium. The entire 5G Estuary corridor is fully part of the TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) North-Sea Baltic corridor. Works will contribute to optimize the cross-border experience at 4 of the heaviest shipping traffic points in the area, where the Belgian waterway infrastructure is connected with the Netherlands. 5G Estuary will also introduce QoS features on the corridor with cross-border continuity to stimulate the development of remote controlled shipping (the waterway Connected and Automated Mobility variant). The 5G Estuary project will complete a 5G corridor providing 5G connectivity to Antwerp, Ghent, Zeebrugge and Liège Ports (around 209 km2 of port area), the 130 km Albert Canal connecting the Port of Antwerp to the Port of Liège and the Meuse, the 16 km Ghent-Terneuzen Canal from Ghent till the cross-border at Zelzate connecting the Port of Ghent with the Scheldt Estuary and Belgian part of the North Sea Coast from Zeebrugge to the Dutch border. Works will also provide 5G connectivity to the 4 most important cross-border connections between Belgium and the Netherlands, in the Scheldt Estuary area. The project will support the Ports’ initiatives for safe, secure, and sustainable operations. The 5G connectivity along this corridor is also instrumental in achieving the objectives of the TEN-T corridor, promoting economic growth and regional development.