Sunderland fans will be among those testing new technology as part of an £88 million Government plan to test new sorts of 5G mobile connectivity at a variety of sporting venues and tourism destinations around the UK.
The Stadium of Light is one of 19 projects and places across the country that will host trials of Open RAN mobile technology, which allows multiple network providers’ equipment to work together to improve mobile coverage rather than each operating with their own.
Other trial locations include Glasgow, Cambridge, Liverpool, Bath, and the City of London, as well as athletic and entertainment venues such as Cardiff’s Principality Stadium and the coastal towns of Blackpool and Worthing.
The ideas were chosen through the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) Competition, which sought plans to demonstrate innovative ways of constructing fast, trustworthy mobile networks in congested areas.
“Whether you’re in a busy city center or a rural village, a fast and reliable mobile connection is critical to staying in touch, accessing services, and doing business,” said data and digital infrastructure minister Sir John Whittingdale.
“To do so, we must embrace a diverse and secure range of technology that will underpin the network.”
“The projects we’re supporting today with £88 million in Government R&D funding 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 UK’s five mobile network operators – BT/EE, Three, Virgin Media O2, and Vodafone – have backed the government’s plans for more open mobile networks as a means of increasing infrastructure resilience and competition.
“The development of open and interoperable RAN solutions is important to the UK’s mobile industry,” said Hamish MacLeod, chief executive of industry organisation Mobile UK.
“This announcement highlights Mobile UK’s member operators’ ongoing R&D trial and deployment programs, which are assisting in the advancement of solutions to achieve ambitions to increase traffic over open RAN architecture.”
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