Investment for Scottish 5G Hubs

The Scottish Government has released £4million funding to launch two additional 5G innovation hubs.

16:59 20 April 2022

The Scottish Government is investing an additional £5million to launch two new 5G hubs in Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. There are already 3 existing 5G hubs located in Dundee, the Forth Valley and Dumfries. 

 

The Scotland 5G Centre, which is a partnership between Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities and the Scottish Futures Trust, aims to accelerate the demand, deployment and adoption of 5G in Scotland. 

 

The new site in Aberdeen will be run in partnership with local business collective Opportunity North East (ONE) while the site in Kilmarnock will be hosted in the HALO Enterprise and Innovation Centre at THE HALO Digital & Cyber Innovation Park. 

 

Paul Coffey, chief executive of the Scotland 5G Centre, said the addition of two new hubs marks “a significant step forward in this innovative new programme”.

 

“Acting as a catalyst to place Scotland at the forefront of digital connectivity, each hub will build on regional engagement, job creation and skills development by supporting key sectors and businesses,” he said.

 

Scottish Government economy secretary Kate Forbes said the hubs would “help boost the economy and encourage entrepreneurship in Aberdeen and Kilmarnock”.

 

“The S5GConnect Hub programme is playing an important role in unlocking the power of 5G technologies, helping small and medium‑sized enterprises with the skills they need to understand how 5G can benefit their business,” she added. “This transformational technology could provide Scotland with competitive advantage and, most importantly, improve quality of life for citizens and businesses across the country as we rebuild a sustainable economy with good jobs at its heart.”