Intelligent CXO Issue 22 | Page 39

INDUSTRY UNLOCKED that this £ 80m UK Telecoms Lab is being built in Solihull , reinforcing the importance of this sector for us here in the West Midlands .
“ The Lab will bring a wide range of stakeholders together to drive innovation and create high quality new jobs for local people . With our tech sector already valued at over £ 15 billion , I cannot wait to see how this lab helps to usher in an exciting future in the months and years ahead .”
5G connectivity will revolutionise people ’ s daily lives and boost business productivity through much faster Internet speeds , as well as underpinning new technologies such as driverless cars , improved Artificial Intelligence and precision healthcare .
The funding package follows an announcement that the United States , Canada and Australia have committed to closer co-operation to diversify telecoms supply chains .
As part of this , they signed up to the UK ’ s principles for developing and deploying Open RAN equipment . The principles aim to direct public and private investment in Open RAN so that it delivers on its promise of a more competitive , innovative and secure telecoms market .
The UK is becoming one of the best places in the world to invest in Open RAN . The £ 250 million 5G Diversification Strategy , published in November 2020 , sets out where the government will remove barriers for new vendors , invest in open technologies like Open RAN and work with like-minded countries to achieve the shared aim for secure and resilient telecoms supply chains .
The measures support the UK ’ s strategy to reduce its reliance on a small number of suppliers to build and maintain telecoms networks , and supports the joint ambition made with UK mobile network operators in December 2021 for 35 % of mobile network traffic to pass through Open RAN by the end of the decade , as well as a string of investments worth more than £ 50 million in innovative trials and facilities to develop new Open RAN solutions . x www . intelligentcxo . com
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