Bristol is set to team up with Nokia and BT for a 5G pilot
The city will host one of the first 5G trials with Millennium Square to act as the main testbed for the next generation of wireless mobile communications in the UK.
The scheme is part of a Bristol University, BT and Nokia research programme.
We are delighted to have been selected by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to host one of the 5GUK Test Networks… Recently announced as the UK’s top ‘Smart City’, Bristol is well placed to conduct this pioneering work that will use innovative network and wireless technologies that will help improve services, businesses and infrastructure in our cities and region. We have long-standing relationships with both the BT Labs and Nokia’s Bell Labs Research, and with this new collaboration we are looking forward to demonstrating the very significant advances resulting from introducing 5G mobile technology Dimitra Simeonidou, director of Bristol University’s Smart Internet Lab and chief scientific officer the Bristol Is Open smart city platform
The scheme will make use of Bristol City Council’s fibre infrastructure and explore Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) networks, network slicing, and edge computing.
What is 5G architecture
5G architecture makes use of multiple antennas within a network to boost its capacity.
The technology is able to simultaneously split networks and direct signals so that overall speed and coverage are imrpvoed.
Initially the trial will focus on how effect 5G technology is in a dense urban setting. The goal will be to maximise both speed and coverage.
However, a second stage will examine how the technology works as an enabler for the internet of things (IoT), with Bristol University keen to promote its use for tourism and connected transport.
The scheme will eventually expand from the initial testbed across Bristol and extend to Bath city centre.
The scheme is backed by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and part of the government’s £25m ‘5G Testbeds and Trials’ programme
