- WM5G was established by the West Midlands Combined Authority and DCMS, with the DCMS promising more than £20m of investment by March 2022.
Regional 5G innovation hub WM5G, established by the West Midlands Combined Authority and the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) following the initial 5G Testbeds and Trials programme, aims to deliver local testing facilities and leverage 5G‑enabled solutions for use in infrastructure, parking, traffic management, and pedestrian traffic flow monitoring are among the use‑cases currently being explored. The DCMS pledged £20m to WM5G through to March 2022, with £2.4m disbursed in mid‑2020 as part of a first wave of road and rail transport trials.
| Project | Focus | Telco participation | Key partners | Funding * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Notes: * Figure listed is that received from WM5G, but projects may have received additional funding from partners, local government, and the private sector. ** Round 2 applications will close in December 2020. Sources: TelcoTitans; WM5G. |
||||
|
Capacity Manager September 2020–November 2021 |
5G‑enabled real‑time traffic management (Telefónicawatch, #147). |
O2 UK |
Blacc Elgin Immense University of Warwick |
Up to £500k |
|
CURBS September 2020–February 2022 |
Use of LiDAR sensors and 5G to monitor road and rail infrastructure. |
BT/EE |
National Express Vortex IoT |
Up to £500k |
|
Passenger Movement September 2020–September 2021 |
Use of 5G for improved passenger experience and safety. |
– |
GoMedia Icomera Wordnerds |
Up to £500k |
|
Predikt September 2020–August 2021 |
Predictive parking support using 5G‑enabled kerbside imaging. |
– |
AppyWay Getmapping |
Up to £500k |
|
Transport Accessibility September 2020–May 2021 |
Improved accessibility for the visually impaired on public transport. |
– |
GoMedia Icomera |
Up to £500k |
|
Tram Safety September 2020–May 2021 |
Live streaming of CCTV footage from trams to assist with social distancing and passenger safety. |
– |
Classone Systems DigitalRail Icomera |
Up to £500k |
|
Urban Tourism 5.0 September 2020–February 2022 |
Use of 5G‑enabled sensors at stations and venues for pedestrian traffic flow. |
– |
Imagemakers Landmrk Oodl You. Smart. Thing. |
Up to £500k |
|
|
|
|
|
Total: £2.4m |
Last updated November 2020.
Joseph Purnell is a Staff Reporter for TelcoTitans, contributing telecoms news analysis since 2019 as part of the TelcoTitans and Market Mettle Editorial team.UK 5G innovation: projects, testbeds and trials
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