In addition to Luleå University of Technology, telecommunications companies Ericsson and Telia, as well as IT company Tieto are participating in the three-year Wireless Innovation Arena project, which is funded by the EU Regional Development Fund (Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth), Region Norrbotten and Luleå municipality.

"The infrastructure is crucial for all technological development in healthcare, learning, mining and other industry," explained Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn, vice-chancellor of Luleå University of Technology.

Telia and Ericsson have already worked together with Volvo Construction Equipment on Sweden's first 5G network for industrial use, which was launched in Eskilstuna earlier this year.

In addition, mining truck manufacturer Belaz, infrastructure operator Belarusian Cloud Technologies and digital solutions provider VIST Group recently established a 5G prototype test area for autonomous vehicles in Belarus.

The purpose of the new 5G installation, according to Luleå University of Technology, is to establish a research and innovation environment where companies, students and organisations can jointly test new ideas and applications.

Bergvall-Kåreborn explained that the university has made major investments in research related to data centres, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the 5G technology is a prerequisite to drive those investments forward.

"We cannot be excellent in those research areas if we are not at the forefront of digital technology, and 5G is the future. This installation is also an important contribution to the university's work to establish northern Sweden as an attractive test region," she said.

Mats Lundbäck, head of Telia Innovation, said 5G creates the conditions for companies to further develop their services and products, but also improves coverage in sparsely populated areas.