As the Future Network Programmes conclude, UKTIN is working with DSIT to reflect on the government-funded projects, outlining the key outcomes and the lessons learned to help improve future telecoms initiatives.
The manufacturing sector is a critical part of the UK economy, with reports suggesting that accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions could provide a £15 billion boost to economic output by 2035. AI, VR and other technologies - underpinned by connectivity - will be an essential part of the sector’s transformation.
England’s Connected Heartland 5G Innovation Region
England’s Connected Heartland (ECH) is set to revolutionise connectivity at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus by implementing a new 5G Standalone Mobile Private Network, providing high-speed, secure connectivity for its organisations. The Harwell Science and Innovation Campus is a 700-acre hub in Oxfordshire, home to over 6,000 people working in more than 240 public and private sector organisations across four sectors: Space, Energy, Health, and Quantum Computing.
The project will enable advanced manufacturing firms, research and development establishments, and wider campus operations to leverage specialised services that are not feasible on public networks. This includes innovations such as asset tracking, drone detection, machine-to-machine connectivity, condition monitoring, and augmented and virtual reality. The initiative aims to showcase the benefits and commercial viability of investing in advanced wireless infrastructure to benefit the regional economy.
The UK has renewed its ambition to become a global scientific superpower, and the ECH region plays a crucial role in this vision. Chancellor Reeves has highlighted the significance of the Oxford to Cambridge corridor, stating that the region has the “potential to be Europe's Silicon Valley.”
Realising these economic ambitions requires cutting-edge digital infrastructure to be considered as a foundation for growth. Harwell will be the first campus to benefit from this technology as one of ECH’s key pilot projects. The solution, designed to be replicable, can be rolled out to other science and innovation campuses across the ECH region and beyond.
Craig Bower, Director of Oxfordshire County Council’s Digital Infrastructure Programme and the ECH programme, said: “We are excited to see this project progressing with our delivery partners, Vodafone. Our engagement with organisations at Harwell has revealed a strong latent demand for a private 5G network, which promises numerous benefits for these organisations. We view our pilot project as essential in supporting the government’s broader economic growth mission, promoting advanced wireless connectivity adoption by allowing organisations to experience the advantages of 5G firsthand.”
West Midlands 5G Innovation Region
The West Midlands Advanced Manufacturing 5G Innovation Region programme is working to accelerate 5G adoption, unlocking economic benefits and enhancing productivity across the UK manufacturing industry.
Over the last 18 months, WM5G has been working in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover Group (JLR), DSIT and leading technology suppliers to design and deploy the UK’s first private 5G network in a live manufacturing facility at JLR’s Solihull plant. This network replaces legacy wired systems to ensure seamless communication across machines, tools and production teams, enhancing operational efficiency, driving automation and improving agility. The programme is creating a comprehensive evidence base to support faster adoption of transformative digital technologies across the sector, moving from theory and trials into real-world use cases and delivery.
Jess Ellis, Programme Director 5G Innovation Regions at WM5G, said: “5G-powered smart manufacturing has huge potential to release pent-up capacity and boost productivity across the manufacturing sector. Through the 5GIR Advanced Manufacturing programme, we are now putting theory into practice, bringing delivery partners together to build-out use cases and adoption blueprints that will pave the way for manufacturers throughout the supply chain to benefit from this transformative technology.”
The project's next phase will focus on collecting and analysing data to measure outputs, benchmark performance, and develop a comprehensive business case for wider adoption.
Factory of the Future Open Radio Access Network
A pioneering project led by the University of Sheffield AMRC North West has paved the way for integrating OpenRAN technology in manufacturing. Factory of the Future Open Radio Access Network (FoFoRAN) explored ways manufacturers of all sizes could benefit from open radio access networks (Open RAN), a concept of mobile network architecture that provides the use of non-proprietary subcomponents from a variety of vendors. It enables different companies’ technology to work together instead of using only one single supplier.
Working with key partners, including aql, BAE Systems, Dassault Systèmes, Productive Machines and Safenetics, along with affiliate partners the Royal Air Force and Telent, it saw trials of new mobile tech designed to increase the resilience of the UK mobile network and ensure the country is not overly reliant on any one form of technology.
FoFoRAN has helped to lower the entry barrier for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies by making private 5G more accessible. Deploying 5G infrastructure is expensive, mainly due to vendor monopoly and integration costs. FoFoRAN’s open-source, configurable RAN and UE solutions significantly reduced private 5G costs - as low as £50,000 for indoor factory femtocells.
It also developed several key innovations, such as demonstrating how modular RAN configurations could meet the diverse needs of a manufacturer, including mobile robots, closed-loop process control, and machine vision. Existing RAN hardware is designed for consumer use, which lacks things like guaranteed latency and high network capacity needed to meet the requirements of a manufacturing environment
FoFoRAN proved the viability of 5G Open RAN in a real manufacturing setting by developing native 5G devices, enabling direct, high-reliability 5G access for machines and robots, and conducting large-scale testing.
Dr Aparajithan Sivanathan, head of digital technology at AMRC North West, said: “By using and introducing technologies, from blockchain in the supply chain network, teleoperated robotics task evaluation in risk environments, real-time loop control of machining components using AI algorithms, and a manufacturing equipment system that mimics a real world example of assembly in a smart factory environment, the project has shown how Open RAN has the potential to be more affordable, interoperable, secure, reliable, providing the capabilities needed in industry.”
He concluded: “The work undertaken during the FoFoRAN project has addressed critical challenges and promoted the adoption of advanced 5G solutions in the industry.”
Belfast 5G Innovation Region
As part of the Belfast 5G Innovation Region, Queen’s University Belfast is harnessing 5G, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Digital Twin technology and robotics to support the design and construction of their £100 million, state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC).
The construction of buildings and the management of building sites presents several challenges for the construction industry including safety issues, the management of people and equipment on site, and the resources and time required to carry out construction processes and site inspections.
Queen’s University is working with BT to investigate the benefits of private 5G networks for construction sites using a temporary mast on a trailer. AMIC is harnessing 5G technology to assist with the transmission of lidar scan data to cloud-based 3D engineering platforms, and using drone technology and autonomous robot systems during the construction phase of the new centre to monitor progress and assist in quality inspection.
Dominic Mullins, AMIC Technical Lead Digitalisation said: "We are seeing the benefits of integrating cross sector collaborative engineering platforms, robotic systems and 5G technologies whilst assisting with the development of the state-of-the-art vision of our Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre alongside our technology providers Leica Geosystems and Dell Technologies."
Ayrshire 5G Innovation Region
Ayrshire’s vision is to become the ‘UK’s premier manufacturing-focussed 5G hub’, transforming traditional production facilities into state-of-the-art Digital Wireless Factories: the project’s Digital Process Manufacturing Centre recently opened in Irvine.
The new technological hub will support and enhance the country’s manufacturing industries to embrace emerging technologies and a net-zero future. 5G connectivity – provided by Vodafone - will be the focus. A private mobile network will provide secure, fast, and efficient coverage to showcase capabilities and provide testing, supporting local companies to accelerate the adoption of 5G and advanced wireless technologies.
The centre’s use cases include real-time remote assistance for maintenance workers using a digital twin; an AR dashboard for quality control on a conveyor belt system; and interactive 5G-enabled training, showcasing the technology’s role in automation, analytics, and predictive maintenance.
Julia McMurdie, Programme Lead for the Ayrshire 5G Innovation Region, said: “We want to become one of the UK’s premier manufacturing-focussed 5G hubs. This technology serves as a key enabler for economic growth, helping businesses adopt digital transformation, improving productivity, and positioning Ayrshire as a leader in advanced digital connectivity. By focusing on real-world industry applications within our three Innovation Hubs, we are creating the foundation for future-proofed, data-driven manufacturing environments that will drive long-term regional prosperity
She concluded: “The three Ayrshire Innovation Hubs are central to our drive towards accelerating the adoption of digital and wireless technologies, transforming traditional production facilities into state-of-the-art Digital Wireless Factories. We look forward to seeing how this strategic technological investment develops and the influence it has over our manufacturing sector in the weeks and months to come.”
