UK 5G testbed meeting aims to kick off new era of 5G innovation

Real Wireless CTO Simon Fletcher was among the attendees at the first meeting in April of all six projects funded as part of the UK government’s 5G Testbed and Trials Scheme.

The ‘onboarding and collaboration’ event was organised by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and attended by Margot James MP, Minister for Digital and Creative Industries. The meeting brought together partners and collaborators from each of the testbeds, which will each receive between £2 million and £5 million in government grants, as part of a total investment of £41m from private sector and other public sector funding.

Real Wireless is part of a consortium to deliver a small cell 5G testbed for connected vehicles, called the AutoAir project. Real Wireless will be involved in the whole project, from the strategic network planning at the start to assessing trials data and delivering insights into techno-economic impacts. This is one of the most ambitious projects in the UK’s development of 5G and its aim is to enable innovation in the UK’s transportation networks. The AutoAir project brings together a large number of the telecommunications industry’s leading 5G players under the leadership of 4G and 5G RAN solution provider Airspan, and the pioneering research at Surrey University’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC).

The six 5G Testbeds & Trials Phase 1 Projects are:

Sport, Travel & Leisure, Transport & Logistics

AutoAir

5G Testbed for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Consumer Electronics, Sport, Travel & Leisure

5G Smart Tourism

This testbed will focus on delivering enhanced visual experiences for tourists using AR.

Health & social care

Liverpool 5G Testbed

Sensor City will lead a consortium made up of public sector health suppliers.

Agriculture and utilities, Sport, Travel & Leisure

5G Rural Integrated Testbed (5GRIT)

5GRIT will be trialling innovative use of 5G technology across a range of rural applications.

Agriculture and utilities, Utilities & Energy

5G RuralFirst

5G RuralFirst, led by Cisco and lead partner University of Strathclyde, will deliver testbeds and trials to exploit 5G benefits for rural communities and industries like agriculture.

Manufacturing

Worcestershire 5G Consortium

Ways to increase productivity through preventative and assisted maintenance using robotics

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To find out more about AutoAir go to https://www.real-wireless.com/real-wireless-joins-autoair-consortium/

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