Dudley Speed Up 5G Roll-Out

West Midlands signs "landmark" lease agreements to accelerate roll-out of 5G network infrastructure.

11:37 25 November 2020

Birmingham City and Dudley City Councils have signed what has been described as "landmark" lease agreements with two of UK's leading mobile infrastructure services - MBNL and Cornerstone - in a move that would accelerate the roll-out of 5G network infrastructure under the guidance of West Midlands 5G (WM5G). 

 

MBNL and Cornerstone are the key infrastructure providers for UK mobile network operators that hold 5G licenses in the UK. WM5G, on the other hand, delivered the UK's first region-wide 5G testbed and accelerators as part of a consortium led by 02. West Midlands 5G has previously said that the biggest obstacle facing the deployment of 5G networks across the UK has been the dramatic changes to legal and planning regulations governing the deployment of mobile network infrastructure. 

 

Rhys Enfield, head of infrastructure acceleration at WM5G, said: “Our programme has already helped our region’s towns and cities accelerate their access to 5G. Getting the infrastructure in place now means that private and public sector organisations will get to experience 5G’s endless possibilities sooner. In turn, this will help to enhance the UK’s position as a world leader in 5G technology.”

 

Peter Bishop, director for digital and customer services at Birmingham City Council, added: “5G offers significant benefits to the citizens and businesses in Birmingham. It will drive the economic growth of the city, offer new innovative ways of working and new business models that will improve public service and I am really pleased that we have been able to work collaboratively with WM5G, MBNL and Cornerstone to achieve faster deployment of this technology.”