Liverpool’s Sensor City has been awarded a £3.5 million grant to investigate the opportunities of 5G community Wi-Fi in health and social care.
The ‘5G Testbeds and Trials’ programme, which is spearheaded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is giving consortiums government grants of between £2m and £5m as part of a total investment of £41m from private and public sector funding.
Sensor City is leading a consortium made up of public sector health suppliers, the NHS, university researchers, local SMEs and a leading UK 5G technology vendor. The project is being funded for one year in the first instance and will see high value technologies deployed across deprived communities in the Liverpool City Region
The consortium will use this technology to reduce the digital divide, while measuring the impact on patient monitoring and support, management of loneliness in older adults, aid to independents living in the home and the facilitation of communication between hospitals and the community.
Margot James, Minister of State for Digital and the Creative Industries, said: “One year on from the Digital Strategy, we are delivering on our commitments to create a Britain fit for the future, with a thriving digital economy that works for everyone.
“The ground-breaking project announced for Liverpool today will help to unlock 5G and ensure the benefits of this new technology are felt across the economy and wider society.”
Alison Mitchell, executive director at Sensor City, added: “Sensor City is proud to lead on what is set to be a truly groundbreaking project with a consortium of like-minded partners. The Government’s 5G strategy for the UK presents a fantastic opportunity to transform the lives of many, especially through health and social care, so I think I speak for all partners when I say we’re excited to see this work unfold over the next five years.”
The DCMS has announced six testbeds led by SMEs, universities and local authorities to represent the best of UK innovation, resources and expertise. They will test 5G across a range of applications, including smart farming with drones, using the ‘Internet of Things’ to improve healthcare in the home, increasing manufacturing productivity and maximising the future benefits of self-driving cars.
