The UK’s West Midlands region which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton, has won a bid to become the host of the Government’s 5G Testbed pilot scheme which will see hubs established in those cities mentioned. The West Midlands Combined Authority will now use 5G in order to develop the health, construction, and automotive sectors in the region.
Discussing the win, West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, said:
“We have been working to put the foundations in place to grow the industries which will create the jobs of the future, particularly around driverless vehicles and life sciences where we have a genuine advantage. To deliver the future of these industries we need the power of 5G. The potential of this technology is endless – and we will enjoy the benefits first.
From monitoring the health of babies and the elderly, to the way out people are linked to the economy of the future, the way companies do business, the way we deliver public services, the experience of travellers on public transport and the way we deliver City of Culture and the Commonwealth Games – everything can be made better thanks to the power of this technology.”
According to Street, 20 other cities and regions were in the running to get 5G first and called the development “fantastic news”.
Now that the region has been selected, the West Midlands Combined Authority will work with the 5G Testbeds and Trials Team at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as well as industry partners to prepare a formal business case which will have to be approved before the first series of projects go live by as early as the start of 2019.
Source: The Metro
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