A new partnership aiming to accelerate the deployment of 5G in Scotland
The Scotland 5G Center has announced a partnership with Connected Places Catapult, global legal businesses DWF, and technical specialist FarrPoint aiming to accelerate the deployment of 4G and 5G networks across Scotland, according to Smart Cities World.
The Scotland 5G Center (S5GC) is considered as a national hub for 5G and was set up to accelerate the adoption of the new technology. The Scotland 5G Center with the University of Glasgow as a partner receives investments from the Scottish Government. According to The National, the Centre is backed with £5.3 billion of funding.
Funded by the Scotland 5G Centre, the Infralink programme aims to engage with the public sector property owners and telecom providers to improve mobile connectivity. Sarah Eynon, Infralink programme manager and associate director of the Scottish Futures Trust’s (SFT) Digital Infrastructure Team said, “The Infralink team has identified that if we take a national approach to make the process of identifying a site and agreeing the terms of the lease more efficient, we have a stronger chance of Scotland leading the way in digital infrastructure deployment and connectivity”, according to Smart Cities World. Moreover, she added, “This will reduce the burden placed on both the public sector and industry, and should lead to quicker, collaborative results”, according to the same source.
On the other hand, Paul Coffey, CEO of Scotland 5G Centre explained that accelerating the deployment and adoption of 5G is a priority for the Centre. “By encouraging collaboration through projects like Infralink and engaging with partners from across the UK, we hope to raise awareness of the benefits of 5G”, he said.
On August 26, 2019, the Scottish Government has published a report entitled “Forging Our Digital Future With 5G: A Strategy for Scotland”. The Scottish Government aims to establish the country as a leading 5G nation. By enhancing 5G capability, Scotland has the potential to add £17 billion to GDP by 2035. The deployment of 5G connectivity could play a part in creating 3100 new businesses, said Paul Wheelhouse MSP Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, according to the report.
A number of key industries in Scotland stand to benefit from the deployment of the fifth-generation wireless technology. This includes but is not limited to healthcare, transport, education, public services, agriculture, and energy.