Nicola Sturgeon 5G Aspirations

Nicola Sturgeon aspires to position Scotland as a 5G leader and a forward-looking digital nation.

19:49 01 September 2019

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hopes Scotland will become a leading country in embracing 5G technology, the next generation mobile network that is poised to deliver internet speeds several faster than 4G. The comment comes following the unveiling of Scottish government’s plan to support the use of the technology and proposals to fund the development of 5G.

 

 

 

“Our 5G plan sets out the actions we believe are needed to ensure as much of Scotland as possible shares in the vast potential growth on offer,” said Ms Sturgeon.

 

 

“Our aspiration is to position Scotland as a 5G leader and a forward-looking digital nation.

 

 

 

“5G offers rich potential – opportunities to enhance Scotland’s global competitiveness, achieve economic growth and drive innovation across our public and private sectors.

 

 

 

“There are huge potential gains for the public sector if we embrace technologies such as 5G.

 

 

 

“We believe this will be a catalyst for further public sector transformation, enabling high quality, user-focused and efficient services that are driven by data.”

 

 

 

Andrew McRae, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Scotland’s policy chairman, said: “Scotland needs to be in the digital fast lane because the next generation of mobile technologies have the potential to boost growth and drive innovation.

 

 

 

“Three-quarters of Scottish businesses say that digital technologies are important to their plans for future growth. But to deliver on this ambition, firms need access to the right skills and high quality digital infrastructure.

 

 

 

“For this reason, decision-makers in Scotland need to do everything they can to ensure Scotland is at the forefront of the 5G revolution. This new 5G strategy is a step in the right direction.”