The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) recently published the 5G Urban Connected Communities expression of interest and market engagement overview.
What does the 5G Urban Connected Communities project mean for local and combined authorities?
The 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme in DCMS is seeking expressions of interest from public sector authorities who wish to take a key role in delivering an Urban Connected Communities project based on a large-scale city area in the UK.
They also want to engage with private sector organisations – such as wireless network operators, service providers and equipment suppliers – who are interested in partnering with the public sector in the Urban Connected Communities Project.
The call is for local or combined authorities with a coverage area in the region of 500,000 people to be the public sector partner and lead the delivery of the project. Interest from large cities below 500,000 population but with very strong, clear digital leadership and vision will be considered.
What are the benefits of being selected for the 5G Urban Connected Communities project?
The benefits of being selected as the flagship are unparalleled. Funding for the project will come from the £200 million assigned so far to develop 5G technologies, as part of over £1 billion investment in next-generation digital infrastructure, including through the £31 billion National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF).
Aside from funding, the programme will help the chosen city deliver better services with their partners, making it a more sustainable and attractive place to live and work. It is not only about enhancing connectivity for residents and businesses.
The urban testbed will trial 5G applications across multiple sectors, including public services, industry, transport, healthcare, media and entertainment. It will also allow different deployment models to be explored and optimised. The aim is to put the citizen at the forefront of the move toward Smart Cities, not the technology that supports and enables it.
The Perform Green view on Smart Societies
Here at Perform Green, we believe a smart society puts people at the heart of the solution. It tackles the growing challenges of an increasing population, such as transport, infrastructure and health service demands alongside environmental concerns for our food, water and energy supply.
Smart societies look at these problems and maximise the use of innovative technologies and collaboration across multiple sectors.
They allows people to create:
- efficient and adaptable services
- connected and efficient cities and communities
- leading to informed, engaged and contented citizens.
There is a lot of hype about the concept of Smart Technology, Smart Cities, Digital Transformation and the Internet of Things. Perform Green cuts through the hype to provide proven strategic leadership for local authorities, central government and businesses who are striving to do more with less.
We help those organisations use available technology to revolutionise the way citizens, cities, communities and services work together to create a truly Smart Society for the benefit of all.
Find out more about Perform Green
You can learn more about Perform Green by looking at how the company was founded, our list of clients and some of our recent work. If you’d like to speak to us about a challenge or opportunity that we can help with, email info@performgreen.co.uk or phone 01242 964032.
Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash