Analysis: Europe plots catch-up in global 5G race to drive COVID-19 recovery

FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at her mobile phone next to a 5G sign at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez/File Photo

STOCKHOLM/MADRID (Reuters) - 2021 could be a do-or-die year for Europe's efforts to catch up with China and the United States in rolling out super-fast fifth-generation (5G) telecoms networks.

The mission to introduce the technology, which ultimately promises internet speeds up to 20 times faster than today, could be crucial to how competitively the continent emerges from the economic ruins of the COVID-19 pandemic.