West Country chosen as part of Government 5G coverage trial
Bath has been chosen as one of 19 locations trialling the technology which lets different network providers equipment work together to boost coverage
Bath is one of a small number of 'tourism hotspots' to trial a new type of 5G technology - in a bid to make it easier to get a good (and speedy) signal.
It's part of an £88 million Government scheme which lets different network providers' equipment work together to boost mobile coverage.
The idea has been backed by the major network operators, and is hoped to ensure fast connections for many years to come.
The trial will be carried out in 19 locations across the UK - from city centres to sporting venues and tourism hotspots.
These places will host trials of the tech, known as 'Open RAN', with the projects chosen by the Government thanks to their Open Networks Ecosystem Competition - which has been looking for schemes to develop new ways of building fast, dependable mobile networks in busy places.
The locations for the trials include:
Urban centres in Glasgow, Cambridge, Liverpool, Bath, and the City of London.
Sporting and entertainment venues such as Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, the National eSport Arena, Cambridge Corn Exchange, and Shelsley Walsh motorsport venue.
Seaside resorts of Blackpool and Worthing.
Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure Sir John Whittingdale said: “Whether you’re in a busy city centre or a rural village, a fast and reliable mobile connection is vital to staying in touch, accessing services and doing business.
“In order to secure that, we need to embrace a diverse and secure range of technology that will underpin the network.
“The projects we’re backing today with £88 million in Government research and development investment will use innovative Open RAN solutions to make our mobile networks more adaptable and resilient, with future-proofed technology to support bringing lightning-fast connections across the country for many years to come.”
The projects have been backed by the major UK network operators, and run until March 2025.
It's hoped 35% of the UK's network traffic will be able to pass through open and interoperable Radio Access Network (RAN) technologies by 2030.
Hamish MacLeod, Chief Executive of Mobile UK said: "The development of open and interoperable RAN solutions is important to the UK's mobile industry. This announcement highlights Mobile UK's member operator's ongoing R&D trial and deployment programmes, helping progress solutions to realise ambitions to grow traffic over open RAN architecture."
Nick Johnson, Head of UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN) said: “The Government’s funding to tackle adoption barriers of open mobile networks is another significant contribution to the telecoms industry, and once again highlights the important role the sector plays in driving connectivity and economic growth in the UK.
“Building a diversified telecoms infrastructure in the UK is crucial to unlocking opportunities for growth and creating a prosperous future. The projects announced today, in support of that mission, will both deliver exciting innovations and consider how to overcome some of the tricky but important challenges to wide-scale deployments.”
This announcement coincides with Vodafone's recent start of Open RAN equipment installation at 2,500 sites in Wales and the South-West of England.
You can find out more about the full list of projects here.