Recognising the strategic significance of connectivity to society and the economy, the UK government has invested millions to accelerate innovation, including testbeds and trials. Alongside this, industrial players are also undertaking individual and collaborative projects and trials.
These projects represent some of the most innovative research and real-world deployments being undertaken into all aspects of telecoms, across the length and breadth of the UK. Their learnings, insights and findings can inform all players in the UK telecoms innovation ecosystem, helping to advance capabilities and strengthen the sector.
The Open Networks R&D fund, delivered through the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is designed to accelerate the development and deployment of open interface architectures, such as Open RAN.
DSIT’s Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out its ambition to deliver nationwide coverage of standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030, allowing people, businesses and public services across the UK to realise the full benefits of 5G. The government has allocated almost £150 million to support this work, with up to £100 million to put the UK at the forefront of research and £40 million to boost 5G tech adoption.