UKTIN is the innovation network for the UK telecoms sector, bringing together industry, academia, and government stakeholders to catalyse telecoms R&D talent in investment, cooperation and commercialisation.

Formed in 2022, it is delivered by a consortium of four partners that draw on distinct strengths in a collaborative approach: Digital Catapult, Cambridge Wireless, University of Bristol, and WM5G.

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Digital Catapult, Cambridge Wireless, University of Bristol, and WM5G

UKTIN’s mission is to transform the UK telecoms innovation ecosystem, capitalising on the country’s strengths in technology, academia, and entrepreneurialism, while positioning it for growth as new opportunities emerge in the industry.

The network will work towards this goal by forging connections between the many businesses and organisations involved in telecoms research, development and innovation in the UK. Currently, these players are dispersed and fragmented, making it difficult to turn invention into innovation and profitable commercial outcomes.

UKTIN provides an impartial, accessible and inclusive forum for the UK telecoms innovation ecosystem, convening a range of bodies and organisations into one network where they can interact in a neutral environment and on a level playing field. Here, they can discover ideas and concepts with innovation potential from throughout the country, understand where to accelerate innovation, the skills needed to capitalise on new opportunities, and funding routes available, and match resources (such as investment and talent) to organisations and projects.

UKTIN has been initially funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to drive the 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy and will provide support for supply chain development in UK telecoms. It will work towards this goal by strengthening UK capabilities in open telecoms, attracting overseas companies and R&D talent, catalysing public and private investment, and proactively promoting UK capability internationally. 

As the telecoms market embraces new approaches such as Open RAN and digital technologies such as AI and the latest network technologies, there are huge opportunities for the UK to tap into its strengths in research, academia, and technology skills. There are already so many exciting projects happening and so many ideas emerging across all four nations. By bringing together this brilliance, UKTIN will open up new possibilities for innovation and growth, supporting UK telecoms to transform into a thriving, resilient and internationally significant sector.