Previous investment in the 5G testbeds and trials programme
has driven work in the healthcare, tourism, transport and
broadcasting sectors. The latest investment will support
similar work in the logistics and manufacturing sectors.
Projects will trial ways which can help these sectors
increase their productivity and output, boosting the UK
economy. The trials could cover different manufacturing
processes as well as across road, air, and sea based
freight logistics.
The funding was announced by Digital Secretary at the 5G World
Conference as part of London Tech Week. The latest round of
investment is through the £200 million project to test 5G
technology that’s up to ten times faster than 4G and able
to support more than a million devices per square
kilometre.
Digital Secretary said:
As part of our modern Industrial Strategy, we’re making
sure that Britain has a telecoms infrastructure that is
fit for the future.
5G is about more than mobile phone consumers having a
fast and reliable connection anywhere in the country.
It’s a vital piece of technology that can be used to
improve the productivity and growth of our industrial
sectors. That’s why we’re excited to develop new trials
in areas such as manufacturing and logistics that can
really benefit from 5G.
In addition to the new funding, the Government has
confirmed that it will consult on proposals to simplify
planning processes in England to both support the further
roll-out of 4G and aid the faster introduction of 5G.
Hamish MacLeod, Director at Mobile UK, said:
Getting the planning system right for future 5G and
today’s 4G networks is critical to ensure the UK
continues to lead the world in digital connectivity. It
is right that the Government has announced it is to look
at simplifying planning processes and we stand ready to
work in partnership to ensure this can happen as quickly
as possible to aid the continued rollout of mobile
networks.
This is part of the Government’s long-term strategy for
meeting its digital connectivity targets, outlined in the
Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review.
The plans involve tackling barriers to deployment and
creating the right conditions for investment to deliver
better network coverage that supports the way we live and
work today.
A key part of this is making new spectrum available to
increase capacity for mobile connectivity. The Ministry of
Defence, in partnership with DCMS, has committed to making
168MHz of new spectrum available to facilitate the
deployment of fixed and mobile networks.
This means the Government has already exceeded its target
to make 500MHz of public sector spectrum available for
commercial use by 2020, and will continue to work with
departments to explore opportunities for more spectrum to
be made available.
Notes to editors:
- We expect a public competition to launch later this
year for bids to be made for the next testbed and trials in
5G. The competition will be open for bids from across the
whole of the UK.
- The recent release by the Ministry of Defence of 168
megahertz in the 8 gigahertz band, puts the total spectrum
released under PSSRP at 552 MegaHertz.
- The Government has undertaken a thorough,
evidence-based and hard-headed review of the 5G supply
chain to ensure the secure and resilient roll-out of 5G.
Throughout the review, we have consulted extensively with
industry and have been clear from the start on their need
to comply with the government’s final decision which will
be published in due course.
