Marius Skuodis at the Transport Innovation Forum: Lithuania could become transport innovation laboratory
“Lithuania should and could become a laboratory for transport innovation, a place where the boldest and the most innovative solutions are born. In Lithuania we attach great importance to the implementation of large-scale strategic infrastructure projects. We are aware of the ways to connect Lithuanian transport system with Europe and the world, but I would like to make our transport and communications system into an engine of innovation,” Marius Skuodis expressed the state’s position at the Transport Innovation Forum in Vilnius.
He believes that we can and should use Lithuania’s potential in being a dynamic, mobile and technologically advanced country. For this purpose the Ministry of Transport and Communications plans to create a Sandbox environment for transport innovations, which would provide legal, regulatory and motivating financial basis for testing viable transport innovations.
In the context of innovations, an increasingly topical subject is the 5G connection to be launched in Vilnius next year. It should be made accessible in at least five major Lithuanian cities by 2023, and in the entire country by 2025. 5G will allow access to high speed gigabit internet and open up new untapped potential for businesses. 5G will also serve as a basis for another digital technology conducive to the IoT development, i. e. eSIM. If its operation is legalised, Lithuania will be the first in Europe with a regulatory environment for such technology.
The Minister emphasised that there is a great focus on the immediate future of transport solutions such as unmanned vehicles, drones, etc. In these areas, beside the need to have a clear and attractive regulatory environment, it is important to attract technology developers for developing innovations and to create an adequate network of charging points. CityBee, offering car sharing services in Lithuania, already performs the first real testing of remote-control cars solutions; thus, it is possible that we will soon see such cars in the cities of Lithuania.
According to Skuodis, one of the greatest challenges of the transport sector is the implementation of the Green Deal. In order to achieve its objectives, it is important to have a common green economy plan in place and to implement innovations.
On Thursday, attracting great attention from foreign authorities and business community, the third two-day international Transport Innovation Forum Transport and Logistics 2050 was launched Vilnius.
More information on the event and the possibilities to participate https://transportoforumas.lt/eng/
Last updated: 21-10-2021
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