14 September 2023 | United Kingdom

• Government announces £88 million investment in innovative open 5G connectivity solutions across the UK
• Funding awarded to 19 projects through the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) competition – designed to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of technology
• Boldyn Networks will support two projects in Glasgow, tackling mobile reception challenges in high-demand areas, and Sunderland, looking at new applications for fans of live or Esports

Iconic sporting venues and tourism hotspots across the UK will see trials of new mobile tech designed to increase the resilience of the UK mobile network and ensure we are not overly reliant on any one form of technology, thanks to £88 million of UK Government R&D investment in innovative connectivity.

The 19 successful projects in the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) Competition will demonstrate the reliability and feasibility of Open Radio Access Network (RAN) technologies and showcase their role in delivering resilient and future-proofed connectivity to UK citizens and businesses.

The ONE competition helps deliver on the UK’s ambition to be a global leader in telecoms research and development, through investment in cutting-edge open hardware and software.

The projects will initiate trials of open 5G networks across the country, and Boldyn Networks, one of the world’s largest neutral host providers is supporting on two of these:

• The Small Cells ORAN in Dense Areas project (SCONDA) – in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Boldyn Networks will be tackling mobile reception challenges in the high-demand areas of the city.
• The Sunderland Open Network Ecosystem (SONET) project – building on the exciting partnership with Sunderland City Council, Boldyn Networks will be supporting new applications for fans of live or Esports in major locations around the city, including at Sunderland AFC’s football ground, and the National Esports Performance Campus.

The funding will enable the successful projects to develop and demonstrate a range of innovative technological solutions to improve connectivity in places with some of the biggest demand on mobile services. This includes busy locations like cities, airports, stadiums, or large venues where many people use their devices simultaneously, posing a challenge for mobile networks to handle high levels of traffic.

The ONE competition was designed to demonstrate how this new way of building mobile networks can deliver fast, dependable connectivity in busy places where many people need wireless connections. Instead of using only one company's equipment, Open RAN enables different companies' technology to work together, which can make the network better and more flexible.

Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure Sir John Whittingdale said:

“Whether you’re in a busy city centre or a rural village, a fast and reliable mobile connection is vital to staying in touch, accessing services and doing business.

“In order to secure that, we need to embrace a diverse and secure range of technology that will underpin the network.

“The projects we’re backing today with £88 million in Government research and development investment will use innovative Open RAN solutions to make our mobile networks more adaptable and resilient, with future-proofed technology to support bringing lightning-fast connections across the country for many years to come.”

Billy D'Arcy, CEO of Boldyn Networks in UK&I, said: “This latest funding provided through the DSIT Open Networks Ecosystem competition gives an important boost to companies working to innovative open 5G technologies. We are delighted to be supporting two of the projects selected, helping improve connectivity for the people and businesses of Glasgow and Sunderland.”

The full list of successful projects can be found here.