Worcestershire 5G Testbed - 5G Create bid - Seeking partners

Worcestershire County Council (WCC) is seeking to make an application (as lead partner or partner) into the 5G Create funding competition. We have previously led successful bids into the Phase 1 Testbed and Trials and more recently the Rural Connected Communities and 5G forms a big part of our local strategic plans for the county.

Our Phase 1 Testbed and Trials - Worcestershire 5G (W5G) focussed on driving productivity improvements through Industry 4.0 and Security by Design use cases, with deployment of a 5GNR network, the first such deployment in an advanced manufacturing setting, working with leading manufacturing partners based in Worcester.

For 5G Create alongside our Network partner and Malvern Hills Science Park we are seeking to put a new partnership together that can take advantage of the existing packaged network solution comprising a 5G Non Stand Alone core and RAN (with plan to upgrade to SA), Mobile Edge Computing solution, indoor RAN networks and outdoor 5G mast thereby supporting both indoor and outdoor connectivity.  The network is based at Malvern Hills Science Park, operating alongside the existing WLEP and BetaDen facilities. 

The fact the network is already in place means we can offer partners a quick-win opportunity to test and develop solutions, applications and services over 5G. We therefore seek contact from organisations, across a range of sectors, that are interested in developing / deploying use cases that exploit the W5G testbed capabilities. W5G would also consider working with partners to extend the testbed e.g. adding backhaul and new indoor facilities if appropriate to do so.

Worcestershire will be seeking to include a workstream and to work with others on pursuing one or more of the recommendations from our recently released Skills Report https://www.wlep.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Worcestershire-5G-Skills-Report.pdf

Those interested can discuss more with Ste Ashton sashton@worcestershire.gov.uk