The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has detailed how it will allocate €65 million of the €200 million it has pledged for the development of 5G networks and applications. . Nine projects received a share of €35 million after their proposals were selected as winners of an open competition to see how 5G could help rural communities and the manufacturing industry. Past contests have donated funds to see how 5G can help individual industries, utilities and emerging areas like connected cars.
Government funding 5G
Seven of the projects are based in rural areas, most examining how 5G can improve the local economy and connectivity in areas with low mobile coverage. Some will test small cell technologies, while others will see how recent Ofcom regulations governing shared spectrum can be used in practice. One of the projects, 5G New Thinking, will see Cisco and others apply the lessons of the 5GRural First initiative in Orkney, Somerset and Shropshire. Another of these initiatives will see 5G augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR) applications for tourists in Sherwood Forest, while other use cases include air rescue services and maritime and environmental monitoring. A total of €5 million was allocated to two industrial projects to see how 5G can increase productivity in the manufacturing sector. The government also launched a new €30 million competition for the creative industries. Applications are sought in the film, television, video game and tourism sectors. "We are determined to make the UK a world leader in 5G and deliver on our promise to improve connections for people and businesses across the country," said the new digital secretary named Oliver Dowden. "Today we are announcing new funding to take advantage of the new opportunities this technology will offer us. This includes looking at how it could create new jobs in the field, make businesses more productive and unleash even more ideas in our cutting-edge creative industries. The UK It hoped its startup ecosystem would ensure it would play a key role in the development of 5G and these ambitions were bolstered by the commercial launch of four 5G networks, Three becoming the latest mobile operator to activate its mobile 5G services last week.