The UK Sharpens its Focus on 5G Networks

A new report, commissioned by the UK government’s innovation agency Innovate UK, has found that the UK’s 5G landscape is “active and growing rapidly”. The report states that the launch of 5G will generate $12.3 trillion of trade for economies across the globe by 2035, and that the UK is well positioned to evolve its digital economy.

“This new report by Digital Catapult is the first to be undertaken in the UK, and goes a long way to helping us understand how 5G development can help to create a world-leading digital economy for the UK. The Catapult in its role as the country’s leading advanced digital technology innovation centre is perfectly placed to understand how the UK can maximise the immense opportunities from 5G,” said Ian Campbell, Interim Executive Chair, Innovate UK.

The report found that there are currently 200 5G related trials and research initiatives in the UK, which will spur the development of next generation networks in the UK.

The report highlights a number of 5G focus areas for projects in the UK, namely healthcare, transport, immersive technologies and manufacturing.

‘’The vision of 5G is much wider than an evolution of mobile broadband networks. This research shows that there are huge opportunities for 5G to unlock major economic and societal benefits in the UK. With so much 5G activity, there is an excellent backdrop for innovative startups and scaleups to explore how 5G can be utilised and start to experiment in building the products, services and immersive experiences of the future,” said Dritan Kaleshi, 5G Lead Technologist, Digital Catapult.

The UK expects to launch 5G in 2019, through BT and its subsidiary EE.  – Total Telecom