Talking of which… Nokia has been chosen by Austrian rail operator Westbahn to provide a secure train-to-ground communications system across the company's expanded fleet of inter-city trains. Nokia will supply and maintain Wi-Fi access points intelligent multi-path switching and control systems at Westbahn's Operations Control Center (OCC).

Further afield, Nokia has landed a 5G core software gig in Singapore with operator M1. Nokia says its software allows operators to "design and automate network slices," which apparently helps with the development of industrial applications such as remote operations and wireless e-health. M1 is due to launch its 5G standalone network later this year.

A private 5G network installed by mobile operator Three UK at the Port of Felixstowe in eastern England has been chosen to be part of the UK government's 5G Trials and Testbeds Programme to drive innovation in the technology. Three will be working with Cambridge University, Blue Mesh Solutions, Ericsson and Siemens to test the potential of 5G in two areas: enabling remote-controlled cranes via the transmission of CCTV; and deploying Internet of Things sensors and artificial intelligence to optimize the port's predictive maintenance cycle. The £3.4 million (US$4.6 million) project has received £1.6 million ($2.1 million) from the government as part of 5G Create, a government-sponsored competition intended to support innovators exploring applications for 5G.

Other 5G Create projects include one involving Cellnex at Bristol Port and O2's Project Vista, which will explore how 5G can provide instant, multi-angle replays during stadium events.

Transport for London, the authority overseeing the UK capital's transport systems, has turned to Amdocs to provide charging and settlement software on Microsoft's Azure cloud for its planned expansion of London's ultra-low emission zone in October. Good news for Londoners' lungs; bad news for the proverbial white van man.

Deutsche Telekom's T-Labs unit is launching an international science competition seeking innovative ideas for the home network, with total prize money of more than €700,000 ($851,000) on offer. The competition is open to students, academics, startups and corporates: anyone interested in applying can submit their proposal here.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading