Rural Connected Communities Project

February 20th 2020

Competition Winners Announced

Competition Summary

The Rural Connected Communities (RCC) competition will fund up to 10 5G research and development projects to run over the course of two years.

These projects will trial innovative use cases and technical solutions to build the business case for investment in rural connectivity and explore the capabilities of 5G to benefit rural communities. They will also help demonstrate demand from a variety of economic sectors and rural communities for 5G technologies.

Connectivity applications are expected to show a combination of societal and economic benefits that will together create a stronger case for investing in the deployment of 5G infrastructure for rural areas.

This​ ​competition​​ ​is​ ​open​ ​to​ applications from consortia​ ​from​ ​across​ ​the​ ​UK. Consortia are likely to consist of a mixture of organisations including the public, private and third sectors, and academia.

Q&A

DCMS has consolidated this Q&A document based on real-world enquiries related to the Rural Connected Communities funding competition. 

Application

If you’re interested in applying for the RCC competition, you can sign up to the UK5G RCC collaboration platform to connect with other organisations which are interested in forming a consortium. We will also be holding a Competition Briefing Event in Leeds on 12 September which will encourage networking and clarify the competition scope and application process.

Competition Timeline

Funding

The 5GTT Programme is making available funding for this competition, subject to the outcome of the upcoming Government Spending Review. Funding will come from the National Productivity Investment Fund, via the £200 million allocated to the 5GTT Programme.