UK first as telecoms testing lab to open in region

A NEW research and testing hub for the telecoms industry is set to open in Solihull.

In what the Government is calling a UK first, the so-called ‘UK Telecoms Lab’ will act as a secure research facility and bring together telecom operators, suppliers and academics. They will work together to research innovative ways of boosting the security, resilience and performance of the UK’s mobile networks.

The Government said it hoped the centre would help to close the digital skills gap locally and nationally by creating dozens of specialised jobs in telecoms and cyber security.

The news was announced this week by Damian Collins, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, at an event during Birmingham Tech Week.

The location of the new lab and the number of jobs set to be created will be announced at a later date.

Mr Collins said: “Fast-growing firms are cementing Birmingham’s status as a tech powerhouse, boosting jobs and spreading economic growth right across the West Midlands.

“As a result, there is no better home for the new UK Telecoms Lab which will turn the region into a centre for expertise and innovation in the security of next-generation mobile networks.”

The core aims of the lab are to enable telecom companies and suppliers to test their equipment, such as radio network infrastructure and the software which underpins it, in a realistic environment.

It is hoped the lab will help to get faster mobile technology rolled out more quickly and ensure people can continue to have full confidence in UK networks by identifying security risks.

The lab will also help new businesses enter the UK telecoms market by testing to ensure equipment is fully ‘interoperable’, meaning it can connect to kit supplied by different manufacturers.

The Government said this was increasingly important to its £250 million strategy to diversify the UK 5G telecoms market.