During this partnership and in cooperation with the "Smart Urban Region Austria Alps Adriatic (SURAAA)" project, the first smart lighting masts in Austria and autonomous driving systems were put into operation in Pörtschach/Wörthersee in 2017 as a leading Austrian project. In 2018, the innovation hub, "see:PORT," followed in Pörtschach with a focus on digitalization, Smart Cities, and startups. In June 2019, the presentation of automated air taxis (passenger drones) was launched.

As a result of this declaration of intent, to further strengthen the region and expand the first 5G tourist community in Austria, Drei, ZTE, SURAAA, and the federal state of Carinthia took the next major step in implementing telecommunications technology in Austria. On August 13, 2019, 5G began live operation in Pörtschach/Wörthersee.

DI Jan Trionow, CEO of Drei Austria: "While others are still talking about '5G ready,' the digital future in the iconic Wörthersee region is already a reality. With the launch of fifth-generation mobile radio in Pörtschach, Drei will offer a more efficient internet supply for homes and businesses in Carinthia. Supporting innovative regions is a huge priority for us, as 5G helps bridge the digital divide between the city and the country and creates significant new opportunities for tourism, transport, medicine, and agriculture."

During the press conference at see:PORT, the project partners presented smart applications to make the new benefits for the population, the environment, tourism and businesses of the region a real experience.

Through the use of interactive displays, visitors were able to enjoy a live 360-degree view of the "Wörthersee" tourist region with virtual reality glasses and marvel at revolutionary high-speed transfer rates of up to one gigabit per second with a live demonstration of the latest 5G smartphone from the ZTE Axon 10 Pro series.

Christian Woschitz, MSc, CEO of ZTE Austria: "With the introduction of 5G in Pörtschach, we are enabling the future of telecommunications in Carinthia by highlighting promising future opportunities through smart applications. The existing cooperation between ZTE and the State of Carinthia, together with our long-standing partner Drei, will therefore be taken to the next level. ZTE Austria considers it an important task to strengthen Carinthia as a business and tourism destination with international expertise and to generate local added value in Carinthia through collaborations such as the IoT40 systems project. By intensifying and expanding our partnership, we will make a significant contribution to tourism, the environment, and society in Carinthia."

Together, Drei, ZTE, SURAAA, and the Carinthian company IoT40 Systems designed the Bee-O-Meter and installed it on the roof of the see:PORT in Pörtschach/Wörthersee. This smart beehive not only counts the bees that fly to and from the hive but also monitors the surrounding environment. Through a live 5G transmission from Drei, the beekeeper can constantly monitor the bees. If environmental pollution with measurable and negative effects on the bee colony is detected, the Bee-O-Meter immediately triggers an alarm. An AI system in the cloud analyzes the collected measurement data to determine the daily concentration of pesticides harmful to bees in the hive's environment. In cooperation with the federal state of Carinthia, the goal was set to equip a larger test region in Carinthia with bee counters in 2020. The data collected in this way could be used for research into bee diseases or to determine the purity level of Carnica bees.