5G will be game-changer as region leads the way
THE West Midlands is no stranger to paving the way – 250 years ago we set the foundations for the Industrial Revolution and, more recently, we led the way in mass manufacturing.
Now our region has come to the fore again – this time to spearhead the rise of 5G technology.
Last year the West Midlands was announced as the UK’s first 5G testbed, with DCMS putting an initial £25 million on the table to set us on our way.
We have set up 5G hubs in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, and began developing ways in which 5G can truly revolutionise both our region and the whole of the UK.
This was – and remains - an incredible opportunity, but many still do not understand what 5G is and how it will impact them.
Quite simply, 5G will transform our lives. But we will only get full advantage if we embrace it – as is always the case with new technology.
To start with, 5G is not just a 4G + 1 – it is a whole new set up. 5G will require new network equipment and services, not just a shiny new phone.
To put some context around what 5G can offer, current home broadband averages speeds of 15MB a second, whereas 5G mobile internet can reach speeds up to 1GB a second – the same speeds as fibre broadband.
The speed element is key, but 5G will also be more reliable and not drop connections, it will boast a greater capacity than 4G, and it will also be far less draining on your devices’ batteries.
So what’s in it for the West Midlands? Well, the first thing is the difference it will make to residents.
The likes of Vodafone and EE have already launched 5G here, and top of many people’s Christmas lists this year will be a 5G-capable phone.
Armed with these handsets and new networks, commuters will be able to browse the internet, post on social media, and stream their favourite shows uninterrupted in record time.
Families will also be able to use 5G as a new, faster, home broadband that powers everything from their security devices to their entertainment systems.
And businesses will be able to use the speed and reliability benefits to
significantly increase their productivity. Not everywhere in the UK will be able to reap these benefits so soon, but we will. Thanks to the Government’s award of testbed status, we are ahead of the game.
However to see the true impact of 5G on our region, we need to look at what it will do for our industries and our future economic prosperity.
Figures released last week showed how the West Midlands economy grew faster than anywhere outside of London since 2012, a hard won achievement and a sign of just how far we have come as a region.
But with more challenging times ahead, we will only be able to sustain our economic growth through the application of state-of-the-art technology, and that is why the introduction of 5G is so pivotal.
Take the construction sector, for example.
This week I was at Millennium Point to witness a variety of demonstrations by Swedish telecommunications firm Ericsson to see what 5G can do for the sector.
I was left amazed as I saw artists’ impressions and other images being super-imposed using 5G augmented reality, and complete 360-degree visualisations of new projects being plotted onto Birmingham’s evergrowing skyline.
This is state-of-the-art stuff – and yet only the start. Soon – thanks to 5G – we will be coming up with new building techniques and using AI and robotics to greatly decrease build time.
Not only will the West Midlands be the first to benefit again, but we will be the pioneers and our builders and designers will be in demand across the globe.
In healthcare, 5G could be the difference between life and death.
At a previous demonstration at University Hospital’s simulation lab in Edgbaston, I was shown how paramedics could perform ultrascans on patients out in the field using the literal guiding hand of a clinician.
With clinicians remotely controlling a 5G-connected glove worn by paramedics, patients will be able to get a quicker and potentially life-saving diagnosis whilst also possibly reducing the need for an ambulance journey or hospital visit.
This technology, which is modernising the construction sector and helping ease the burden on the NHS, is also what is driving our push towards autonomous vehicles. It is no secret that the West Midlands is at the heart of the UK’s electric vehicle manufacturing, with its cluster taking in JLR’s Castle Bromwich plant – where the new all-electric XJ will be built – the engine-production facility at the i54 in Wolverhampton, and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry.
Not only will we be providing the batteries and the engines to power the next generation of cars, but we will also, thanks to 5G, be providing the technology that helps guide these autonomous vehicles, keeping them on the roads and their occupants safe.
From construction and cars to health and your home, 5G truly is a game-changer. We should take pride that the West Midlands is leading the way once again.
Thanks to 5G, we will be coming up with new building techniques and using AI and robotics to decrease build time
Andy Street is elected mayor of the
West Midlands (Conservative)