• WM5G was established by the West Midlands Combined Authority and DCMS, with the DCMS promising more than £20m of investment by March 2022.

WM5G

WM5G

Source: Bilge Tekin / Unsplash

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.

5G enabled road and rail transport trials Round 1**
ProjectFocusTelco participationKey partnersFunding *

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.

Topics

UK 5G innovation: projects, testbeds and trials