Past Opinions

No longer just the art of the possible, it’s time to recognise 5G opportunities.

First published in The Scotsman

Business is about people, and business success relies on staying ahead of the competition.  New technology like 5G gives businesses the opportunity to seek new possibilities, however it requires the effort and collaboration of people, organisations and industries of people to make it happen.

Scotland is now a country where 5G enabled devices – be they sensors, smartphones or computers – exist side-by-side with us. This technology is no longer in the realms of science fiction and 5G is no longer the art of the possible, but an inevitable evolution.

Like all new ideas, early adopters and pioneers take the risks. However, in my business engagement role at The Scotland 5G Centre, I ensure the customer journey is easier for market acceleration. Businesses have access to free technical expert advice, support with producing feasibility studies to proof of concepts with access to a private 5G network to trial product and solution ideas. Uniquely, this bespoke service arms businesses with 5G and advanced connectivity knowledge that de-risks decision making to a competitive advantage.

Turning awareness into action takes time and communication. What I have found is that businesses are now keen to hear how 5G is reducing energy outputs and increasing sustainability to reach net zero targets, which is at the top of everyone’s agenda.

Employers are also understanding that the changing shape of digital skills is creating new jobs.  In sectors such as, manufacturing or logistics, technologies, such as 5G, are becoming an ally, improving efficiencies, reducing costs and ensuring staff’s tasks are even more productive.

Take the energy sector, Scotland is also uniquely placed with growth in offshore wind, solar and hydro power. 5G-enabled connectivity, can provide real time data accurate predictions of supply and demand, it can also analyse possible faults quickly which previously is highly variable and difficult to predict, reducing outage and downtime for customers.  Research shows, for wind power alone, this could reduce downtime by 32% and maintenance sessions by 25%, representing huge savings in costs but supporting the integration of renewable energy sources.

In the Transport sector, it is clear that existing use cases could provide a blueprint for Scottish Smart cities and the transport networks.

5G is enabling electric vehicles to received data on energy demand and charging points, supporting the development of more advanced transport systems such as autonomous vehicles. In Scotland, this year we have seen the launch of a self-driving bus on a route between Edinburgh and File over the Forth Road Bridge.

We are now seeing the next level of development called vehicle to everything (V2X) concept using 5G connectivity.  These vehicles adapt to traffic light systems to reduce stop and starts and maintain traffic flow, reducing fuel consumption and supporting the transition to low carbon transport systems and a decarbonised economy.

It is easy to see the many entry points for businesses in this new 5G landscape.  Digital technology has societal, cultural and economic benefits. It could make Scottish roads in cities safer and more efficient; it can also give cities a critical advantage when considered for future development and investments.

As I said at the outset, business is about people and the development of 5G in Scotland relies on the willingness of organisations to embrace 5G technologies and experiment, innovate and step out of their comfort zone.

I will be hosting a 5G workshop at Michelin Sustainable Innovation Parc, Dundee on March 9^th at the Demonstrator Showcase event.

I will also be speaking at the Transforming your Business with 5G, Conference on 17th April at the Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow. https://scotland5gcentre.org/events

Kirsty Scott is a Business Engagement Manager at The Scotland 5G Centre, based at its S5GConnect Hub in Dundee

Real Opportunities for Businesses Across the 5G Spectrum

First published in The Scotsman

On a recent car journey, I heard a news item about farmers choosing not to sow seeds as they can’t guarantee workers will be available to harvest crops.  You reap what you sow and the consequences of this possible inaction in Scotland, when over 70% of its land area is under agricultural management, is a concern.

On the same day I visited one of The Scotland 5G Centre’s five innovation hubs in Dundee for an open day to showcase the potential of 5G to local industry representatives, government agencies, SMEs and entrepreneurs. I learnt that the agricultural sector not only needed support to work the land, but also that technology could be a game-changer to automate vital stages, such as weeding, preparing the soil and harvesting.

Exchanging large amounts of data, real time in a secure manner isn’t a unique challenge to agriculture. Many business opportunities are emerging, where private 5G networks can be deployed as a site-wide communications platform to enable new, innovative ways of working.  5G allows organisations to apply for their own slice of spectrum, meaning there’s no interference issues from other users and it’s more secure by design.  So, if Scotland wants a slice of this action, we’re going to have to get good at deploying 5G networks.

Understanding its importance, The Scotland 5G Centre was created to help organisations adopt this technology and the recently launched 5G Connect Hubs are a key component of helping with this engagement at a regional level, delivering local economic impact. Moreover, the investment in the 5G test beds at each location make it risk-free for companies to trial their solutions prior to purchase.

Healthcare is a particularly exciting area, where private 5G can make a real difference. Not only will it present the opportunity for devices in a hospital to communicate away from a crowded Wifi network, it offers improved security for the transfer of patient data and becomes a platform on which to further innovate and drive operational efficiencies.

Elsewhere in Healthcare, the innovative Project CAELUS (Care & Equity – Healthcare Logistics UAS Scotland) is looking to trial the UK’s first national distribution network to use drones to transport essential medicines, blood, organs and other medical supplies throughout Scotland. These remote operated aircraft require high bandwidth, real time communications for the take-off and landing phases and 5G is the only technology to meet these needs.

Advanced digital technology also supports the Scottish Government’s ambition for the renewables sector outlined in its recently published ‘Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.’  A site-wide 5G network in place for an offshore wind farm can support high quality camera images to transmit information about corrosion and potential defects prior to failure, improving up-time and energy generation. The same 5G network is able to gather operational metrics from each of the turbines. Augmented reality headsets can be worn by maintenance engineers conducting repairs with specialist support delivered remotely from on-shore based colleagues. This minimises the number of staff working in a hazardous environment and reduces the requirement for repeat visits when enhanced skills or knowledge are required.

It’s easy to see that with the right wireless network in place, the potential for future innovation is huge.  I believe advanced digital technology such as 5G, with the support of our transformative hubs and the leadership of The Scotland 5G Centre, will enable key sectors to work smarter, be more competitive, and ultimately boost the economy. 5G is a platform on which further innovation will be born – starting with new healthy green shoots in our countryside.

Mark Hanson, Vice Chair, The Scotland 5G Centre

Scotland 5G Centre On The Global Digital Stage

The eyes of the world watched as the combination of centuries of tradition and ceremony combined to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth and lay her to rest.

It’s impressive that the world-first for live TV news using shared radio spectrum was made possible by an innovative private network, designed and deployed by experts from the software-defined radio (StrathSDR) team, one of The Scotland 5G Centre’s funded projects, and part of the University of Strathclyde.

Scotland not only became the backdrop of the action, its innovators enabled the communication of high-definition pictures to communicate the historic final journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh Airport and onto London.  The 5G wireless solution, was deployed in quickly, avoided the safety hazard of cables running across the airport runway and guaranteed a high-quality service.  The collaboration between innovation centres, academia and business allowed the images to be captured and beamed across the globe using advanced connectivity.

The stakes for this 5G application were high and it is one of the case studies of pioneering innovation included in a masterclass session entitled ‘Future Proofing Scotland Through 5G’ at the Digital Scotland conference today (25th October) where I will take part.

The StrathSDR team responsible for the Queen’s broadcast to millions around the world is one of the projects funded by The Scotland 5G Centre for £1.9 million.   The return on this investment is currently sitting at approximately £2.5 million.  The real value is the pivotal role the Scotland 5G Centre played in making this innovation happen.  As a national entity, we were able to support the ecosystem and ensure the collaboration between academia, industry and the licence operator Ofcom took place. The nine hours of live coverage with no reported interference is the perfect global advertisement for the importance and relevance of 5G wireless technology.   We are currently seeing further developments to support rural communities using local shared spectrum 5G network and low-cost broadcasting.    These all open up opportunities for business and communities in rural areas to become connected and not left behind.

We are also continuing to support innovation and research projects with one of our other founding partner, the University of Glasgow, to develop potential commercial and business applications around sensing and imaging.  5G enables the creation of a super-immersive learning experience using a remote-operated robotic arm.   One of the many use cases is learning conducted across the globe where some of the commercial opportunities lie in the field of small-sized nano-scale devices for the electronics industry.

We are constantly orchestrating a network of partners to explore how 5G and its advanced connectivity can deliver innovation across diverse industries and sectors. Our network of S5GConnect hubs allow us to bring together SMEs, entrepreneurs, enterprise and regional agencies across rural and urban centres across Scotland.

With seven innovation hubs planned to be open this year, we are bringing 5G testbeds to new cities and rural locations to help local businesses access the expertise needed for digital transformation.  The use of digital and data technologies will be available to overlay across key sectors such as:  health, logistics, agritech and manufacturing to name a few. This technology is key to evolve processes and encourage sustainable progress.

These hubs allow demonstrations of 5G capabilities and are staffed by experts to guide businesses on uses in their own business setting.  We are already seeing digital technology used to create smart factories with sensors connected to utilise remote tracking and automation technologies.   The health sector is looking at immersive technologies to support software development training for adult carers.

The collaboration across academia, experts, regional enterprise centres and business is vital to our success.  Our work aims to link experts and create connections and scale up opportunities that streamlines partnerships and encourages fast paced and sustainable progress.

Technology and know-how engineered and tested in Scotland has been given international recognition – here’s to it remaining on the global stage.

Julie Snell, Chair, The Scotland 5G Centre.

A modern 5G makeover will satisfy the appetite for change in our food supply chains

First published in the Scotsman

By Paul Coffey, CEO, The Scotland 5G Centre

Scotland is particularly proud of its food and drinks industry – it has a larder full of speciality products and global brands.   Accounting for one in five manufacturing jobs and contributing to over 13% of exports, the industry is also a major contributor to Scotland’s economy and a key growth sector.

Bringing together agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, distilleries, brewing and transport logistics it is a sector that needs intelligent and resilient supply chains that are risk-aware, secure and adaptive.  This is where 5G can make a real difference as it can connect multiple suppliers and customers using advanced connectivity.

Food supply chains had their soft underbelly exposed with farmers, distributors and sellers often struggling to deal with increased demands in certain foods during the pandemic.  The ‘just in time’ delivery system which aims to reduce the need for large warehouses often meant there was stock, but in the wrong place.  This is exacerbated by the lack of workers to pick crops and food security was also in question.

We recently hosted Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, to our live 5G innovation hub in Dumfries.   The aim of the visit was to showcase the role that technology can play in enhancing the contribution rural communities, like Dumfries and Galloway, can have on the wider economy.   We were able to demonstrate how agriculture can be re-imagined by using industrial automation, AI video applications, drones and IoT sensing technologies.

The Centre is in very early-stage discussions with partners on use cases that benefit from the characteristics of 5G to help in the food chain and net zero/carbon reduction in agriculture. Some examples include discussing the use of data rich imaging for the early identification of health issues in young livestock and monitoring of methane emissions of livestock in a bid to reduce them as part of greenhouse gas reduction.

We were encouraged by Mr Bailey’s words of support and acknowledgement of the positive impacts 5G technology will have for businesses particularly in rural parts of the economy.   He recognised the role 5G will have to enable organisations to be more agile, efficient and responsive to change.

As well as agriculture, we are working across the wider food and drink sector to demonstrate the need for more resilient supply chains and enable businesses to adapt quickly to changes in demand. 5G offers the opportunity for businesses to connect with suppliers and customers in real time, which will help them to manage the flow of goods and services more effectively.

Organisations that are able to make their supply chains 5G-ready will be well placed to reap the benefits of this new technology. They will be able to respond quickly to changes in demand.

5G can help achieve better visibility across supply chains instead of using manual controls to track and trace products.  With digital technology logistics companies supporting the food and drinks industry can label, track and record orders automatically, this can help with product freshness and support the ‘just in time’ approach preferred by food businesses.

We can see automation in salmon farming and whisky via private networks not only completing routine tasks and quality checks.  But providing valuable data to feed into an integrated system to manage high volumes of production,  predict and avoid bottlenecks and simplify processes to create efficiencies and cost savings.

There is an option for some operations to be handled with unmanned vehicles powered by automated remote control via cloud based systems. 5G can also support systems to streamline ordering processes.

This data driven innovation can help demonstrate food provenance, integrity and product security.  In this sector digital supply chains powered by 5G will strengthen resilience, efficiency and reduce both cost and risk and help build a sustainable economy.  Tracking food and drink from farm to plate, requires increased automation with data driven by 5G and business.  And that’s food for thought.

Why innovation and marketing are the perfect partners to make changes that matter

By Esther Francisco Ballesteros, Marketing & Communications Manager, The Scotland 5G Centre.

First published by FutureScot.

With the rapid evolution of traditional marketing and the appearance of digital marketing, technology and innovation has become part of any marketer’s life without the need of working for a digital technological company.

Technology and innovation companies are known to be fast moving and new ideas are what gives them their competitive edge. However, technology jobs are not all about being close to industry leaders and tech geniuses, there are opportunities for those looking for a more meaningful role where technology and innovation will help others.

And that’s what attracted me to join The Scotland 5G Centre in 2021 – the national centre to accelerate the adoption of 5G in Scotland, the opportunity to work with technology leaders and breakthrough innovation that are having a significant role in changing Scotland’s society while working with local authorities, communities and SMEs to understand what they need and how 5G can improve their lives, business and economies.

And here is where marketing and communications positions play a key role in organisations like The Scotland 5G Centre, where they need professional communicators and all elements of the marketing mix to do it effectively.

I see marketing and technology as the perfect partners as they both need each other to become effective. Communication is crucial at the start-up and spin-out stage of an innovative business. A time of endless rounds of funding applications, each one requiring clear messages and a simple ‘elevator pitch’ to attract attention and investment. For more established companies and public bodies, there is a greater need to build collaborations to share ideas to develop a business where marketing campaigns are essential for it.

With a background in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), business to consumer (B2C) and selling a definitive product, I enjoyed the challenge and the range of skills I needed to master for this role, but that was not the only career move. I moved from Spain to Scotland almost seven years ago, and ever since the rural areas and remote communities have drawn me further in. As an avid walker I could admire their beauty and majesty. I also recognised that the communities in these remote areas needed support to survive and thrive.

I recognised the crucial role that being able to work and be educated remotely would make. Joining The Scotland 5G Centre was a win-win for me. I didn’t need to know the intricacies of how low latency works, but I understand how improvements in communications will support communities to live and work remotely.

This larger societal role that the technology sector has is really appealing. I find the high ratio of women in leadership roles at The Scotland 5G Centre encouraging. Our work opens the opportunity for technical skills in remote areas and we offer the gateway for all genders looking for a more “meaningful” role and I think they can definitely find this in the tech sector.

One of the key challenges is to be able to convey complex information in terms that everyone will understand. Often what my team and I have to do is turn the information we are given on its head, rather than talking about the details of the technology, we start with the solutions and benefits of what we do. My role is to create and frame the conversation depending on the audience.

Although marketing has evolved and the focus is on digital marketing and new ways of communicating, it’s important to stress that marketing for technology doesn’t mean you are dropping traditional methods. We may be in the business of digital technology but we use face-to-face events to raise awareness of our work.

We support events with marketing collateral and branding, reports and presentations. Again it is about understanding the diverse audience and using a combination of traditional formats of offline communications to dovetail with our online marketing campaigns.

It all comes down to what communications an organisation needs to meet its business objectives and be successful.

Although technology companies are not seen as a traditional route for marketeers, I would like to suggest that they should be. Marketing and communication is about creating and contributing to a brand. To do this you need to be interested and engaged and if you see past the tech you will recognise the benefits – and more importantly how marketing skills and talents can improve things for others.

I think you will agree that innovation and marketing are the perfect partners and when you utilise them both you can really make changes that matter.

The Big Interview: Paul Coffey, CEO of the Scotland 5G Centre

Published in The Scotsman 

Connecting Scotland

By Paul Coffey, The Scotland 5G Centre CEO

Published in Holyrood Magazine.

Data connectivity has almost universally changed the way humans live, work and generally behave over the last few decades.

But the next iteration of this interconnection, 5G, will take it to the next level and transform the delivery of Scotland’s economy and its communities.

That is according to Paul Coffey, CEO of the Scotland 5G Centre, who has overseen the country’s national centre for the last year and a half.

Formed in 2019, the Centre was put in place to raise awareness of 5G through their S5GConnect project.

The project works to better understand the diverse challenges facing Scottish businesses of all sizes, while driving the adoption of those services and how the technology can assist in tackling them.

Theoretically, 5G is expected to reach speeds 20 times faster than 4G LTE which, according to Ofcom, currently covers 81 per cent of Scotland’s landmass.

They also claim it will support the use of virtual and augmented reality while providing infrastructure to devices used in e-health, environmental monitoring, smart energy networks, smart agriculture, transport and retail.

Speaking on the S5GConnect project, Coffey suggests it will help understand how businesses can use the new technology to their advantage, in turn providing a better service for Scots. “As we introduce this technology, it is a step-change from its predecessors 2G, 3G and 4G, which have been about its consumer offerings.

“Everyone has heard of 5G, but a lot of people still think, whilst it is two years old, it is simply a faster phone connectivity solution.

“In reality, it will affect everything from the consumer to businesses. Connecting our communities of all sizes can unlock innovation which, in turn, can enhance public services, reduce costs and, most importantly, improve quality of life.

“We are a national entity to bring focus to that, to address the needs and challenges that we have got here in Scotland.

“It is imperative that we work with local communities and understand what challenges they have today.

“It is not simply about talking about 5G and its benefits, it is examining what challenges exist today in these regions on these vertical sectors.

“If we take healthcare, for example, it’s not solely focusing on new innovative technology like remote surgery, which is one of the use case hypes that is in the space now, but also about how we can make a difference today.

“That may be instead of sending a consultant into care homes, we could have a remote camera that could be used for looking at the elderly patients’ skin conditions.

“We could have a remote diagnosis that deals with very basic, common problems that are happening in care homes today, addressed through remote, end-to-end connectivity with good quality imagery.

“It is about looking at what the practical steps are here and now, but also taking that vision of where 5G will go in time because it is very much still in its infancy.

“It is about setting near-term steps to help businesses understand what the challenges are [and] what could they do address them in the short term, while building a bridge and pathway to where we may be in five years so they, as a business, can start to build that strategy of digital connectivity and digital transition.”

In just over a year, the S5GConnect project has made great headway into highlighting the opportunity that Scotland’s regional communities offer.

Coffey details: “We have three connect hubs already open: Dumfries, our first rural hub, one in Forth Valley and another in Dundee.

“We will be making an announcement shortly on three follow up hubs as well.

“In them, we address all the critical verticals across Scotland and collectively, we will have a network of hubs that will work with regional agencies, other innovation centres and academia.

“In Dumfries, we are working with the South of Scotland Enterprise and the Crichton Trust and we are going be announcing some big industry partners that we will be collaborating with.

“We will also be working with other innovation centres in the area that are focusing on agri-tech, healthcare and the rural economy.

“We bring people together to demonstrate what 5G can do. Create some real use cases that apply to that region. Then we work with local businesses, taking them on a journey.

“The model is generally about awareness and enablement, and we take that to different sectors.”

The Centre is also working on other projects with its partners, which have already shown an impressive return in investment. Coffey says: “In the last few years we have been working on other projects, our Wave One projects.

“We have an urban project, in which we’ve built a 5G urban testbed with the help of the University of Glasgow, bringing smart technology into the daily lives of students, staff and business partners.

“On top of that, we have built several use cases in healthcare.

“We built a robotic arm which will move under gaze control. That arm will move under haptic feedback and sensing.

“The connectivity platform that we have built has attracted a lot of applications and interest.

“That has generated more than £10 million for the university, of which 50 per cent is foreign investment coming into Scotland.”

The hubs were of course a massive achievement of 2021, but so too were the other projects that the centre have been working on in the last year. Coffey says: “I think the connect hubs and that initiative we are building are great.

“Our Wave One foundation projects have been a huge success too.

“On our rural project, that is looking at the sharing of radio waves and shared infrastructure.
“In crude terms, the mobile operator deploys their networks, independently.

“There are already elements of sharing, but across rural Scotland we need to go much further where the traditional business case won’t support that style of deployment. Through spectrum sharing, one network can support all mobile operators, private networks and public services.

“We have a project at Loch Lomond and Orkney, which is very much testing that model.

“Asking how we can deploy a shared network and how can we generate from that a toolkit of solutions to enable people to repeat that themselves.

“It is starting to shift the dial on what is called a neutral host and shared deployment model around wireless infrastructure.

“That is going to be critical as we go forward – just last month, the government announced that 2G and 3G technology will be retired by 2033.

“Whilst that sounds a long way off, it isn’t really in real terms.

“We’re looking at a Scotland which has got some connectivity gaps.”

“So, we need to look to new deployment models, and that project is setting good groundwork into what will come to support that model going forward.”

Focusing on what 2022 holds for the Scotland 5G Centre, Coffey explains: “It has been a challenge with Covid and there are issues with the supply chain right now, particularly getting equipment.

“Next, for me, it is about turning these hubs into something with tangible outcomes and impact at those regional levels.

“In 12 months, I want to say this is what we have done in Dumfries with this agri-tech farm, and this is what they have done, as a result of working with us.

“I want to be sitting here saying we have engaged with a vast array of different bodies and businesses.

“I want us to have created certain outputs and show how it has impacted all the different businesses.

5G has major a role to play in what are two of the most important issues for the Scottish Government right now: economic recovery incurred by the pandemic and helping meet the target of net zero by 2045.

The need for bandwidth connectivity as we recover from the pandemic is crucial as we have relied on it more than ever in this time.

The limited rollout, so far, has demonstrated how crucial a large-scale deployment is. Coffey explains: “Whilst the pandemic has been a challenge for all of us, it has put the digital connectivity, or high bandwidth connectivity, high on people’s agenda.

“If anything positive has come out of it, it has highlighted that we need to have robust high bandwidth connectivity, to support things like video conferencing, at a basic level.
“It has also highlighted the digital divide.

“Here in Scotland, we are seeing 5G getting deployed across the central belt, but not much beyond that just now.

“So, [there is a] gap between connectivity available today and what communities need going forward to access things like healthcare, education and employment is critical.
“Hybrid connectivity, for want of a better phrase, made up of mobile, wireless and satellite connectivity is imperative.

“We need to make sure that is in everything we are doing, in all the strategic initiatives coming out of Scottish Government and beyond to ensure that the digital divide doesn’t widen and we address it to put Scotland in a great place going forward.”

In helping to achieve the goal of net zero, he says: “We don’t know what our carbon footprint is today.

“Through sensing and monitoring data into insight, it will give people choices and allow them and their business to start to change their behaviour and their decision-making to reduce their carbon footprint and be more cognisant and conscious about their contribution.

“There is some smart research centred around gaming theory. Imagine a set of neighbours; they share their carbon footprint, there can be some sort of competitive element to that to say I want to drive mine down, how come you are doing so well?

“That needs to be built into the construction of buildings and everything we touch basically.

“I think in terms of smart buildings, smart infrastructure, the construction of different buildings and heating systems all rely on connectivity.

“We need to recognise what is key to all these government initiatives, such as the space strategy, the net zero strategy, the economic transformation strategy – they are all reliant on a high bandwidth connectivity.

“In delivering major opportunities involving advanced connectivity, we can empower Scotland’s regions and businesses to innovate and thrive on a national and global stage.”

Digital technologies give women new opportunities to deliver transformational change

By Julie Snell, Chair, Scotland 5G Centre

First published in The Scotsman

Over the last 35 years working in the technology sector, I have often been one of only a small number of women in the room. So, I was particularly pleased to Chair an all women panel at a TechEx event in Amsterdam recently. All held senior management positions from the banking, health and aerospace technology sectors. Each is responsible for changing customer experiences through digital innovation.

This experience was heartening against the backdrop of the recent statistics from the Office of National Statistics. Although showing an upward trend, women are still under-represented in the sector, with only 24% of women working in technology across the UK and around 20% in Scotland.

In my role as Chair of the Scotland 5G Centre I lead, manage, and support the Governing board. Supporting the CEO’s delivery of the Centre’s business growth plan, ensuring a visionary strategy and creative initiatives to strengthen the Centre’s reputation as a key member of Scotland’s innovation system. I am also part of a group of women in leading positions moving the needle in Scotland’s digital technologies sector. This includes my fellow board member Sarah Eynon, Associate Director Scottish Futures Trust and Claire Gillespie, Chair of S5GC Strategic Advisory Group and Digital Technologies Sector Skills Manager at Skills Development Scotland.

At the TechEx conference the women on the panel all talked about the need for collaboration to share new innovations and skills across sectors to drive change for good. In the banking sector, Samaneh Khaleghi spoke about the technology of application programming interface (API) allowing access to customer data in a safe and secure way. The industry has used this technology to transform customer experience. Giving its customers the opportunity to manage their accounts securely from multiple devices whether at home or mobile.

One of the key sectors 5G can support is e-health. Healthcare expert, Eva McLellan, on the TechEx panel was keen to see how data sharing in banking could be used to transform the delivery of healthcare. Over 70% of healthcare costs are dedicated to delivery. The view is that investment needs to take place in innovations to create convenience and ease of access.

The global pandemic has forced a step change in healthcare. The shortage of staff and beds has highlighted the need to deliver healthcare in a more efficient and effective manner. Remote devices and enhanced digitally-enabled connected ambulances mean patients can be assessed and often treated before reaching a hospital. Many conditions can be effectively monitored remotely, enabling many to be treated in their own bed. I am delighted that the Scotland 5G Centre is supporting the data connectivity projects to support these developments and further customer-led uses.

Sharing a platform with influential women in technology and its ability to deliver transformational change was hugely encouraging for me. Innovative technology across sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, retail, hospitality, gaming and social media, are working to encourage more young women into their sectors.

There is still a great deal to do. A recent study by the Learning and Work Institute said the UK was facing a looming digital skills crisis with few girls choosing to study computing. But it isn’t just about the coding. Many technology roles require the skills to understand the end user problem then match the technology development. In my experience women excel in this area of the ‘fifty thousand-foot view’ thinking.

I hope more women will be attracted to the digital technology sector to deliver solutions that can transform lives.

5G is the key to opening a clever countryside

First published in the Scotsman.

Introducing reliable digital connectivity can provide societal benefits as well as helping businesses grow. With 5G technologies and an ability to build private networks we now can make sure these benefits are realised in rural settings as well as the city. Scotland’s rural areas produce farmed salmon, the country’s biggest food export and the UK’s largest food export by value, and therefore a major contributor to our national economy.

Digital connectivity enables extensive sensors to measure water quality, PH levels and temperature. It can also support high resolution underwater video cameras to count fish or AI software for disease identification. Scotch Whisky contributes billions to the Scottish economy with 7,000 employees from rural communities. A private 5G network could support distilleries with machine operations, video monitoring and employee communications. Scotland needs to prioritise rural communities. The barriers often quoted to this taking place have previously been commercial arguments about the difficulties caused by lower population density and concerns about return on investment. However, the global pandemic has changed society’s views on where you need to be to do your job. Much of the UK’s socio-economic activity is now taking place online and high-bandwidth communication is now considered essential for doing business.

The team at the Scotland 5G centre is working with academia and industry to create parity in the adoption of digital opportunities right across the country. One example being, we are working to support new business models and scaled deployment in rural areas. With a founding partner, University of Strathclyde, and multiple supporting industry partners and collaborators, we have created a 5G ‘field lab’ at Ross Priory on the east side of Loch Lomond. This allows us to demonstrate and test how 5G radios and wide area connectivity will work in a rural location, notably building completely ‘private’ networks on shared radio spectrum.

The Ross Priory ‘field lab’ will support a testbed on the Orkney Islands, where the ‘5G New Thinking’ project will be running use cases on fixed wireless access, mobile connectivity, and applications in rural health, education, industry and business – and in all extremes of weather and climate not seen on the mainland. Our S5GConnect programme of regional hubs works closely with the public sector and small to medium sized businesses to help them scale up and adopt advanced digital communication services. In Dumfries, our first rural hub, we will have a dedicated 5G network, with advanced capabilities including a testbed for trialling innovative products, services and solutions.

Projects set to get underway include the development of agritech solutions, where sensors and drones are used to measure crop growth, animal behaviour and wellness; and remote healthcare initiatives including the use of 5G technology to support assisted living – all hugely important to support the local community and the economy.

5G is enabling business to reach new heights

Paul highlights the capabilities & benefits of 5G in his article first published in The Scotsman.

With Everest base camp now gaining 5G coverage – we can now recognise that 5G is on the world stage and its stock is high.  There is a lot of talk about the benefits of 5G for economic growth and it being a key enabler for Scotland’s digital transformation.  These conversations are now taking place at local and regional level as businesses are keen to learn exactly how 5G could supercharge their productivity.

5G was designed to provide more connectivity than was ever available before.  However, it is not just about the availability of the technology, it’s about how we use it.  5G enables next-generation user experiences, supports new deployment models, and delivers new services.  For many, 5G is still considered an enriched consumer offering but that is not where the real value lies.

With its lightning-fast connections, massive capacity, super reliability, and next to zero downtime or lag, 5G will expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms.  It has the capability to impact everyone and every industry – be it making safer transportation, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, immersive education, and tourism, and so much more.

But for me, the key enabler of the technology lies behind the instant, real time responses.  That currency has the capability to transform our working practices and procedures in all sectors.  When you look at the Internet of Things, robotics, even artificial intelligence, and augmented reality, having wireless technology with negligible latency is a game changer.

That could be deploying a dedicated 5G network and implementing autonomous guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots within manufacturing to speed up the supply of parts to workers, prevent downtime and maximise factory efficiency. Or it could be from using sensors and real-time monitoring within the health and social care sector, to make more informed health and wellbeing decisions and allow patients to become engaged and involved in delivery of their own health care.

Businesses need to look at the big picture of endless opportunities.  It is a fundamental shift away from looking at the cost reduction for a single use case and instead, evolving the entire operating model of a business to become an economic driver based on several inputs and benefits.

Through the Scotland 5G Centre we will co-develop solutions that demonstrate practical applications and benefits of use cases to help businesses understand how the technology can be applied within their sector.  We will examine horizontal innovation, enabling the transfer of techniques and applications from one sector to another – for example we are currently taking skills from the gaming sector and applying them to support patients living with dementia.

Scotland also faces the challenge of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.  This is a monumental task, however, one that we need to meet.  Research conducted by the GSMA with the Carbon Trust in 2019 found out that, while the mobile industry is currently responsible for around 0.4 per cent of carbon emissions globally, it enables carbon reductions in other sectors that are 10 times larger, equivalent to approximately four per cent of global emissions.  5G technology has the power to change behaviour, and innovation through 5G can change and influence outcomes.

5G is here to stay and it is very special.  It brings vast opportunities, the potential to deliver immense benefits and to profoundly change the way we provide services, create products, and live our lives in the future.

The Scotland 5G Centre will be delivering a virtual event on 29 June where an expert panel will look at the potential of 5G, the possibilities it can bring and outlines how SMEs can scale up and test using dedicated 5G private networks.  Find out more at https://scotland5gcentre.org/allevents/what-makes-5g-so-special/

Paul Coffey is Chief Executive Officer for the Scotland 5G Centre

The Scotland 5G Centre is one year old!

‘We are delighted to be celebrating the Centre’s first anniversary.  It’s been a busy and productive year and we are all very proud of the progress that’s been made.  We’ve put the Centre firmly on the map and the team have been working hard to create partnerships, develop collaborative projects and ensure we take a lead role in accelerating the roll-out of 5G across Scotland.

Of course, 2020 has been particularly challenging in terms of dealing with the pandemic, but it has also served to highlight our critical dependency on digital technology and connectivity.  Virtually overnight, many workers migrated from city centre working to suburban homes, and boundaries blurred between home and office.  The pandemic has also highlighted the growing digital divide between those who have access to fast, reliable telecoms and those who are less fortunate, suffering from poor connectivity with limited access to increasingly vital public information and services.

The impact on the most vulnerable in our society has reinforced that 5G is not just a nice-to-have but is absolutely critical as we look to build the economy post Covid-19.

The Scotland 5G Centre is working at a national level, so is perfectly placed to stimulate economic development and promote the benefits of 5G connectivity.  September saw our announcement to launch a national network of 5G innovation hubs (#S5GConnect), accelerating digital connectivity and regional economic growth; and equipping businesses and citizens of Scotland with the skills they need to use 5G technology as an enabler for the good of their business.

Our plans are progressing well.  We intend to have our first three hubs open in the first half of 2021.  I’m delighted with the feedback we have received on our plans; indeed, the level of engagement from businesses and organisations wishing to collaborate with the Centre to support the S5GConnect hub programme is extremely encouraging.

We have several other live projects, spearheaded by our three founding partners.  Like many other organisations, progress has been hampered by Covid-19 restrictions, but the teams have been adaptable, going the extra mile by installing equipment in their homes to mitigate the impact to timelines.   As a result of their efforts, all three programmes have made significant progress and, by early next year, will be back on track.

The projects are:

• A rural testbed at the University of Strathclyde is deploying a neutral host 5G network using shared spectrum and will develop the business case to support substantial and lasting improvements in fast, reliable connectivity in rural areas.
• An urban innovation district at the University of Glasgow will deliver a scalable platform to enable testing of 5G use cases and network techniques in an urban context.
• Infralink, an infrastructure project led by Scottish Futures Trust, is creating a national asset register and redefining best practice to facilitate and accelerate infrastructure deployment for the mobile industry.

These projects are at the heart of the Centre’s establishment and I’m really excited to track their development and of course see the results!

5G will transform how we communicate in all walks of life.  I’m really proud of the impact and progress the Centre has made over 12 challenging months.  Equally, I’m in no doubt about the difference the Centre will make to Scotland and I feel incredibly positive about the year ahead.

Watch this space for some exciting progress and announcements in the next few months.  Our programmes will be sharing use case outcomes and enabling Scotland 5G future.

Coffey’s view on… Scotland’s fourth industrial revolution

For the past half-decade, there’s been a great deal of excitement around the concept of the fourth industrial revolution – the adoption of robotics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) among other technologies in manufacturing processes.

Perhaps less discussed is the crucial role connectivity will play – the ability to deliver the necessary infrastructure and quickly process the vast amounts of data involved is almost treated as a given. In that respect, the roll-out of 5G will underpin the delivery of the next industrial revolution, providing the architecture on which the future of Scottish manufacturing can be built.

That’s the topic we will be addressing at our latest virtual event on August 25^th, highlighting the opportunities the next generation of connectivity will unlock and its transformative potential for one of Scotland’s most important sectors.

Although still in its formative stages, deploying 5G in Scotland will be critical for industrial automation and a range of new concepts in manufacturing. These may include the live streaming of engineering instructions to machines, machine-to-machine communication, and the overall implementation of the Industrial IoT.

Shared spectrum and private networks

Indeed, the opening up of ‘shared spectrum’, which allows individuals and organisations to create their own private mobile networks, will help bring state-of-the-art connectivity to everyone – regardless of where they are located. This should help manufacturers across the country to trial new business models, technologies, and concepts, by connecting equipment, monitoring data in real-time, and supporting the application of machine-learning algorithms.

To that end, we are working with the University of Strathclyde and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), which is operated by Strathclyde – to develop a private 5G network at the NMIS specialist technology centres, the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) and Lightweight Manufacturing Centre (LMC).

This infrastructure will be used to trial the use of 5G in a manufacturing context and act as an exemplar for others to follow. Once use cases are proven, we hope and expect that they will be adopted by manufacturers across Scotland by creating their own pop-up private networks.

Creating a meta-network

Combined, a network of networks – whether they are Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or LoRaWan – can help manufacturers securely integrate their existing technologies to link millions of devices, which will give them much better visibility of their processes and equipment. Access to regular information, without relying on third parties, can also help them track assets to drive efficiencies in the production cycle, support health and safety for staff, and securely store data on site.

But the potential benefits extend far beyond individual factories. With interaction between public and private networks, manufacturers can understand the provenance of all the parts of the process and materials they use, supporting efficient methods of production and develop a much closer understanding of their supply chains.

A first step towards revolution

Developing a private 5G network at NMIS facilities is an important first step towards the wider adoption of the next generation of connectivity in Scottish manufacturing. It will provide the testing ground for the ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth telecommunications that will underpin 5G IoT and define the next industrial revolution.

This use of 5G technology underlines how very different it will be to 4G and its previous iterations, and Scotland has the opportunity to be at the forefront of the seismic changes that it will sweep through manufacturing and other sectors in the years ahead.

The Scotland 5G Centre is here to accelerate the deployment and adoption of 5G infrastructure and services, realising its economic and societal potential for Scotland and enabling all types of businesses to reap the benefits of this new technology. We urge anyone with an interest in 5G to join us on that journey.

Join the conversation

To learn more about 5G and the manufacturing sector, register for our virtual event – 5G and Manufacturing – a state of readiness – on 25 August 2020 at 9.30am. Register here.

The webinar will explore the possibilities opened up for Scottish manufacturers by 5G, how they can undertake their own 5G use cases, and the development of private networks.

Also sign up for our Connecting Scotland event on 17 September 2020 to hear about the next stage in the Scottish Government’s 5G strategy, how the Scotland 5G Centre will be delivering it and how you can get involved.

Coffey’s view on….. how 5G technology could improve critical services

CEO Paul Coffey tells us his thought on how 5G can support the end to end delivery of healthcare.

While Covid-19 has had a colossal impact on NHS hospitals and our emergency services, it has given us a glimpse into the future of 5G healthcare delivery. Despite the misconceptions from some about 5G and its impact on human health, it could in fact underpin a wide range of innovations that will support medical professionals in the delivery of patient care.

Recent data collected by the Royal College of GPs highlighted that at the peak of the pandemic, up to 70% of consultations were carried out by phone or video call – a basic type of telemedicine which has never been so widely adopted.

The current crisis has highlighted significant opportunities to help people using telecommunications technology, and in no area is that truer than healthcare. Across the UK, health boards are faced with the challenge of an ageing population. According to a report from PwC, 68% of over 65s are expected to be living with multiple chronic conditions by 2035.

The effectiveness of remote or 5G healthcare relies on the ability to communicate and gather data required to inform a patient’s diagnosis or treatment. Reliable, 5G mobile networks could be the catalyst for this remote approach to continue and evolve, strengthening links between healthcare providers and rural communities.

Upgrading from 3G or 4G to 5G offers much more than faster internet speeds; new networks can provide more secure and reliable communications channels required to handle the sensitivities of digital healthcare.

Benefits for patients

5G applications in healthcare could change the way people across the country access NHS services. For those most at-risk and those in remote communities, in particular, there is an opportunity to explore how remote monitoring and communication technology could support current care models.

It could ultimately reduce the need for hospital admissions, which are not only stressful for patients, but costly for the care provider.

For example, a telemedicine initiative in Liverpool now connects care home residents to healthcare professionals via a 24-hour video link. While reducing pressures on frontline healthcare staff and local resource costs, the service allows around 90% of patients to remain in their place of residence following a consultation.

5G use cases in healthcare

There are already documented cases of mainstream consumer electronics saving lives; for example, a smart watch which helped detect an underlying heart condition. Using wearables in a wider healthcare context would become more reliable with 5G. Broadly speaking, these devices could be used to collect data and enable real-time decision making, anticipating certain conditions and allowing healthcare teams to intervene, preventing a more serious condition or hospitalisation.

A study from O2 suggests that this type of monitoring could significantly relieve some of the pressures on the NHS, reducing hospital re-admissions by as much as 30% through 5G-enabled aftercare, decreasing overall bed occupancy rates by 6%.

IoT technology – networks of connected devices such as sensors – is also expected to be boosted by the widespread adoption of 5G. In healthcare, this could mean an increased opportunity to collect relevant data that could be used to assess a patient’s condition remotely.

5G in UK hospitals

In 2019, the number of people waiting more than 12 hours at Scottish A&E departments hit record levels. During December, just 83.8% were treated, transferred, or discharged within the target time of four hours.

Across the UK, the health sector is beginning to explore the potential of 5G, with trials underway for connected ambulances and developments in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). In a hospital setting, 5G could significantly aid digital transformation, making multiple use cases a reality thanks to enhanced network capabilities and reliability.

A partnership between BT and the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, has seen a number of new connected healthcare applications developed and tested. As well as remote diagnostic tools, including ultrasound, digital stethoscopes, and electrocardiograms (ECGs), the team have developed a 5G connected ambulance. Using virtual and augmented reality headsets, clinicians can review a patient’s condition in real-time and give vital instructions to paramedics, while travelling to hospital.

Remote surgery using 5G is another use case that has been widely reported, where robotic-assisted surgical tools are controlled by surgeons from a remote location. It may be some time before we see this adopted widely, however, remote rehabilitation therapy could be used in the near future. This type of rehab uses robotics to support the extremity of rehabilitation exercises, including fine motor skills of limbs and gravity compensation, supported through tailored video and VR programmes.

With a dependable 5G network in place, healthcare professionals can use new technology and connected equipment to their advantage, which would ultimately benefit patients.

Through existing apps and consumer devices, the capabilities of a 5G healthcare model are readily achievable, but its effectiveness will rely on access to powerful and reliable mobile networks.

Safe, dependable 5G technology will be essential to building trust with patients and by building a better-informed network of care providers – from GPs to A&E departments – there is an opportunity to improve patient care, while also creating a more efficient healthcare system.

Join the conversation

To learn more about 5G and the UK healthcare sector, register for our virtual event – Enhancing healthcare through 5G communications – on 14^th July 2020 at 9.30am.

The webinar will explore and discuss the qualitative step-change in service coverage, quality and reliability that can be delivered through 5G with presentations from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, BT, Ajenta and Vodafone.

Register here and visit our events page for more 5G 2020 events.

Cyber resilience and 5G must evolve hand-in-hand

5G is, by nature, dynamic and complex. Developments in 5G, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologies are leading towards what is being hyped as the era of intelligent connectivity. It will enable new capabilities for transport, entertainment, manufacturing and more, where data will be analysed in real-time to enable instantaneous decision making.

The transformational pay-off of 5G has not yet impacted day to day life for the majority, but analysis from Deloitte suggests that next generation mobile networks could boost Scotland’s GDP by £17 billion and create 160,000 jobs by 2035. Nevertheless, building trust and confidence in the technology will be essential for widespread adoption and delivering this potential. 5G could unlock powerful opportunities for connected, smart industries and communities if built on solid, secure foundations.

We want to make sure everyone understands the transformational impact 5G can have on their lives and as well as dispelling myths and communicating the benefits, users’ trust stems from security and reliability.

Networks must be well protected, not only to ensure the safety of a business’ information but to instil a sense of security with customers. Therefore, cyber security and 5G must work in tandem, as early as possible in the development of network and systems to mitigate the risks. As with any new technology, there are unique cyber security threats that both 5G network operators and users will have to contend with.

With greater use comes potential misuse, and there are three main factors influencing the risks associated with 5G. Firstly, networks are likely to involve many devices and touchpoints, meaning increased risks of weaknesses in the network. As more information is transmitted through the network, there is a wider pool of opportunity for those looking for a route to get in.

There will be a range of services and functions significantly boosted by 5G technology, meaning a variety of devices connected to a network. Some critical roles could be severely disrupted if the wrong person managed to take control of a system – for example industrial machinery or driverless cars.

We also have to consider the nature of the information and data being communicated – if public services such as healthcare move to 5G it could transform the NHS as we know it, but at the same time sensitive and confidential data will be passing through the network.

At the same time, we are faced with hackers who are evolving at a similar pace – or even quicker – than the tools and technology being developed. We cannot afford to underestimate the potential risks of disruption and it cannot be a static exercise either. Threats are continually changing, and we must build in cyber resilience by design and have plans in place to regularly monitor and upgrade the different types of systems.

Those behind cyber-attacks, such as the disruption car manufacturer Honda faced earlier this month, are generally motivated by one of two things: financial gain or the power of information. Largely, this comes as a result of data theft or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), often using botnets with command and control software to access a network. These types of attack are commonplace in the IT industry, however, the major difference with 5G is that high network speeds mean any data and information can be downloaded quicker than before, potentially before a breach is detected.

To date, the telecoms industry has typically been very trusting of its users, but as 5G expands this expectation needs to change. Designing with this in mind allows engineers to identify weaknesses and build in additional features to manage the risks from the outset, rather than it being an after-thought.

5G is different to anything that has come before; therefore, securing the networks and systems requires a different approach. While there will still be risks associated with the network, security must also be focused on the way the it is used and the nature of the devices that will be connected. 5G has great potential and it could be the catalyst for digitalisation across many industries and public services, but its success ultimately depends on creating trusted, reliable and secure systems.

Scotland’s tourism sector should connect with 5G

Malachy Devlin, interim operations director at the Scotland 5G Centre, discusses how 5G could be used to boost tourism in Scotland

Ask your family, friends or colleagues about 5G and the vast majority will think it is a continuation of the preceding generations of mobile connectivity – 3G and 4G.

In the popular imagination that largely means faster internet speeds on their phones and being able to send videos on WhatsApp, no matter where you are.

There are few sectors that demonstrate how different 5G could be more than tourism; particularly in Scotland. The technology has transformative potential at a time when Scottish tourism has seldom needed it more, enabling more engaging and rewarding experiences for visitors and ‘staycationers’ while delivering serious financial benefits for local people and businesses alike.

The importance of tourism to Scotland is evident from the statistics. Data from the Scottish Government shows that visitor expenditure totalled £8.9 billion in 2015 – the last available figures – contributing an estimated £6 billion to GDP, equivalent to 4.5% of the total. Tourism-related industries employed 207,000 people in 2016.

Such a level of economic contribution, and the potential impact on this from Covid-19, underlines the imperative behind continued innovation and investment in Scottish tourism – both at an individual business and macro level.

5G potential in Scotland

While tourism operators should look at the 5G technology coming available to them and see how they can use the new capabilities to benefit their companies and customers, they need to know that high quality and reliable, nationwide infrastructure is in place to underpin their efforts.

The 5G networks are currently being rolled out and will become more ubiquitous with time; but, as this process unfolds, it is important for companies to understand the enormous potential on offer.

‘Smart’ tourism

One of the biggest areas of opportunity will be around the use of ‘immersive’ content. In England, for example, 5G has been trialled to allow visitors of the Roman Baths to experience historic reconstructions on a mobile augmented reality (AR) app using 360-degree video.

We are already looking at how this new form of ‘smart tourism’ can be used in Scotland. 5G RuralFirst, a project led by Cisco and the University of Strathclyde alongside other partners, is developing rural testbeds and trials for 5G wireless and mobile connectivity, based in the Orkney Islands, and linking with a new Scotland 5G Centre testbed in the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.

The initiatives include exploring how 5G can provide connectivity to visitors, such as delivering virtual reality (VR) content at tourist and heritage sites across the country.

In cities, there are a range of potential applications too – particularly through the use of Internet of Things (IoT) networks based on 5G connectivity. By placing sensors throughout urban areas, collecting a variety of data, they can be used to look at the flow of people through attractions, events, and even entire cities.

In fact, councils or tourist sites could create their own private 5G networks, guaranteeing service and bandwidth, to check their cities or venues are running smoothly and efficiently. As an example, an integrated network of sensors could provide visitors with directions to vacant car parking spaces that would enable event organisers to monitor congestion and improve safety. Imagine how useful this would be during events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival or large football matches.

Further down the line, 5G could also be a boon for tourism by enabling live translations through pop-up networks enabling high-definition coverage and event production at a fraction of the cost required today. Tour guides could communicate with visitors through a system which translates their speech into multiple languages in real-time, through earphones synced to Smart Glasses or other devices – they would not have to struggle with even the broadest Scottish vernacular.

Maintaining our tourism offer

Tourism is extremely important to Scotland – but, to maintain and protect what has been achieved over the past decade or so, we need to embrace new ways of thinking and the next wave of technology that will be enabled by 5G. That may start with immersive content, but it will certainly be much more than that. We cannot afford for others to steal a march on us – the time to explore the possibilities of 5G is now.

This blog, by Malachy Devlin, Interim Operations Director at the Scotland 5G Centre, was published in Digit.FYI in April 2020. 

Five ways Scotland is mastering the opportunity of 5G

Derek Boyd, interim director at the Scotland 5G Centre, explains why the nation can become a world leader in 5G

A new study from the GSMA – the international trade body for mobile telecommunication operators – predicts that 5G will account for as many as one-in-five worldwide mobile connections by 2025.

In the UK, we saw the first 5G network launched by EE in May 2019, and since then, new high-speed mobile networks have been introduced in more than 50 towns and cities – from Birmingham and Belfast to Hamilton and Huddersfield.

However, 5G remains much more than faster internet connections and download speeds; the possibilities are far greater than what has previously been possible with 3G or 4G.

As well as boosting connectivity for people living in remote communities, 5G presents new opportunities for smart living and connected businesses, for example, through the Internet of Things (IoT) and new possibilities for real-time data sharing.

In Scotland alone, the introduction and adoption of 5G networks could increase gross domestic product (GDP) by more than £17 billion – equivalent to 8.3% of the country’s current total economic output. Scotland has the potential to become a global leader in 5G, with the expertise and resources to support its development and adoption.

A number of projects are already underway, exploring how 5G can be deployed nationwide and used in real-world scenarios.

Connectivity in rural locations

The 5G New Thinking project, led by Cisco Systems and the University of Strathclyde, with support from the Scotland 5G Centre, aims to build on the existing 5G RuralFirst project to create 5G shared spectrum rural networks in the Orkney Islands.

The University of Strathclyde is also creating a rural 5G connectivity testbed site in the Loch Lomond area, providing a platform for partners and businesses to investigate wireless broadband networks and mobile connectivity, helping to stimulate and facilitate access across sectors such as tourism, energy, healthcare and education.

Enhancing live entertainment

Vodafone has announced a new partnership with the SSE Hydro in Glasgow – becoming the venue’s official technology partner. A key element of this includes a new on-site ‘super-suite’ which will be used for branded experiences that will showcase the latest 5G-enabled technologies and IoT, creating a new interactive experience for music and sports fans that visit the venue.

Creating urban innovation districts

The University of Glasgow is creating a 5G-enabled testbed around its new west-end campus, allowing Scottish and UK businesses to test new applications of 5G in an urban setting. For example, this could include autonomous vehicles or sensor-led healthcare innovations. The testbed project includes the design and build of a unique self-organising network, as well as a local network and an IoT platform.

Smart subway travel

The 5G RailNext project is a partnership between a number of industry experts and academic researchers in the UK and South Korea.  The project team will look at ‘infotainment’ and providing high-speed 5G enabled connectivity to underground trains. The Glasgow subway system and Seoul metro, in South Korea, will provide testbeds for getting gigabit connectivity to subway trains which operate in underground tunnels.

Engineering teams from industry and academia will collaborate on engineering and use case designs. Project partners in the UK will also create AR and VR apps to demonstrate possible applications that require low latency and high data rates.

National infrastructure roll-out

Successful deployment of a nationwide 5G network depends on access to a number of assets – such as land and buildings – which is essential for improving connectivity.

Scottish Futures Trust is leading a new initiative, the Infrastructure Deployment Accelerator, which aims to help communications providers and the public sector work together to roll out the 5G network, by standardising processes and gaining a better understanding of how land and buildings could be more effectively utilised.

This is only a snapshot of the 5G activities currently taking place in Scotland, and as the infrastructure and ecosystem develops further, we will inevitably see additional projects and applications emerging – supporting Scotland’s position at the forefront of 5G.

This blog by Derek Boyd was published in DIGIT earlier this month. You can view it at https://digit.fyi/opportunity-of-5g-scotland-5g-centre/

Putting people at the front of 5G discussions

I am not a techie. I do, however, recognise what technology can mean for people and their lives.

At first it seems 5G is all about technology and innovation. It is to a point but that is not where the story stops.

Up until now, each generation of mobile technology has been adding to and enhancing what we already can do. 5G blasts this out of the water by offering an abundance of innovative mobile options. The tough bit is deciding how to direct the whirlwind of activity and interest in 5G, and where to focus our new super powers.

My suggestion is that we put what 5G can do for people at the forefront of discussions and how it can improve lives by giving more choice. It will allow people to learn in a way that stimulates thought and discussion. It will allow people to live independently and where they want within a safe and supportive environment. It will free up people from process-driven tasks to focus on activities that need skills and talent. It will create products that are bespoke to individuals.

The way I look at 5G is as an enabler to give us choice about how we live and work together. And this idea of working together is at the core of how we are going to realise 5G.

You will all have heard the 5G buzz word – collaboration – but many people are struggling to know what this means. A tangible action at this stage in the development of 5G is knowledge sharing and promoting best practice. There are some great initiatives across Scotland and the UK that we can learn from and build on. There are a number of working groups and forums that are pulling people together from different geographies and sectors who are looking at the common opportunities and challenges on the road ahead. This is great to see, particularly in a commercial market.

The question I hear a lot, though, is: ‘That’s all well and good, but how do we get access to this knowledge?’ One of the aims of the Scotland 5G Centre is to act as a knowledge exchange. By having a visible national focal point for 5G we can ensure we are building on what we already have in place, sharing with others and taking the conversation forward. You’ll be hearing more about our progress on this in the coming weeks and months.

Getting our sleeves rolled up!

I’m Derek Boyd, Interim Director of the Scotland 5G Centre and I’m delighted and privileged to be leading the Centre during its initial phase of operation.

Our vision is to accelerate the adoption of 5G and realise its economic and social potential for Scotland; it’s a big task but we’ve got three great founding partners and compelling projects to build on. However, these projects and partners are just the beginning and the start of the broader, more inclusive Centre that will evolve.

Our initial projects will help test 5G in different locations – from challenging, sparsely populated rural environments to a densely populated urban centre. Learning from these testbeds will shape the rollout of 5G networks, not only in Scotland, but across the globe. One of these projects, the Infrastructure Deployment Accelerator, headed up by Scottish Futures Trust, will lead to faster and wider deployment of 5G in Scotland, which is something we badly need.

5G myths and realities

Perhaps surprisingly to many, 5G is not just about mobile communications. In fact, 5G reaches more widely than that: it’s an umbrella for a raft of new technologies aimed at solving some of the challenges facing the telecommunications industry today. As I hear the talk of ‘These young people always on their phones …’, I often laugh as I look at rail carriages or pubs full of people of all ages scanning social media, checking news, listening to music, posting selfies etc. This is certainly not the domain of youngsters alone but is a feature of modern life across current and future generations.

Many people will question the need for 5G when good 4G coverage (if you can get it) seems perfectly adequate. In order to explain this, it’s worth considering the growth in mobile traffic. According to CISCO Systems, global mobile internet usage was 19.01 Exabytes per month in 2018. By 2022, it is forecast to increase to 77.5 Exabytes per month; a compound annual growth rate of 46%. And in case, like me, you’re wondering, an Exabyte is 10-to-the-power-of-18 bytes!

Hence, we can immediately understand the requirement for new waves of technology to meet this incredible user demand.

The immediate needs

Therefore, the first target of 5G is to allow many more devices to connect simultaneously whilst maintaining or increasing data transfer capability. Additionally, the internet of things (IoT) is placing additional demands on the system with some 190m ‘machine-to-machine’ connections in Europe in 2019.

The third dimension that a new generation of system is required to address is the need for or ‘Ultra-reliable low latency communications’ (or URLLC). This is one of the most exciting areas of 5G that will serve a new wave of ‘autonomous’ functions whereby tasks that are restricted to humans today can be performed much more safely, reliably or accurately by machines or with the assistance of machines.

Hand-in-hand with this comes a requirement for new levels of cybersecurity as we require these complex systems to be ever more secure and difficult for those with malign intentions to attack.

Each of these topics contains its own extremely challenging requirements and technology of almost bewildering complexity is emerging to solve it. 5G therefore is far from a ‘done deal’. Many of the solutions are still emerging from globally leading universities, not just at our founding partner universities but across Scotland.

Hence the broad remit of the centre: not only to ensure Scotland is among the leading nations deploying this new technology globally but also to raise the profile of Scotland’s academic and business community developing new technologies, products and services.

I look forward to working with many of you as we seek to advance Scotland’s interests.