Dorset Council £500k grant to boost 5G connectivity
Bus shelters, CCTV poles and road signs in Dorset could all host 5G kit
Dorset Council has been awarded £500,000 to spearhead a new pilot project to look at ways of boosting mobile digital coverage.
Joining forces with partners Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Hampshire County councils, this new ‘Wessex Digital Infrastructure Accelerator’ scheme will examine how online mapping technology can help speed up the rollout of connectivity.
The successful funding bid was led by Dorset Council and is one of eight pilot projects to receive a share of the government’s £4million Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator fund.
It will build on the platform already developed by the award-winning 5G RuralDorset team, which has looked at how using publicly owned buildings and equipment can be used to encourage mobile operators to speed up coverage and reduce costs.
Cllr Jill Haynes, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Corporate Development and Transformation, said:
“Dorset has two ambitious unitary councils which understand the power of digital to make their areas better places to live, work and visit. It’s essential that we have a joined-up view of the thousands of public assets that can help deliver the connectivity our communities need.
“I’m delighted we have won this money to work with our neighbouring councils, government and industry partners. It will allow us to take the asset mapping work done as part of the successful 5G RuralDorset project to the next level, allowing quicker and cheaper roll-outs of broadband and wireless networks.”
The project will identify how street furniture, such as CCTV poles and road signs, can be used to improve 4G and 5G coverage .
Rolling out seamless 5G requires a larger number of smaller sites to place kit. to meet surging demand for connectivity.
And mapping and identifying the different types of equipment the three councils own will demonstrate how local authorities can play an integral role in improving wireless coverage.
In time, it could mean faster rollout of connectivity and coverage and make rural areas more attractive to mobile operators.
Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez, said: “Everyone gets frustrated when their mobile signal is poor, particularly when patchy coverage holds up important work and social calls and makes it harder to do stuff online. That is why we are determined to get the UK the connectivity it needs by rolling out better mobile coverage as quickly as possible.
“Currently, mobile companies are finding it difficult to get the data they need to check that a lamppost, bus shelter or public building is suitable for hosting their kit. It is all part of our joined-up strategy to deliver world-class connectivity to every corner of our country.”
The 12-month project is due to start in March 2022.
Its findings will feed into the government’s research programme and inform future policy on how local authorities might manage existing equipment for future mobile connectivity roll-out.