Welcome
Accelerating the benefits of 5G
WM5G is here to deliver benefits – for people, public services and businesses in the West Midlands.
5PRING is the UK’s first 5G commercial application accelerator. Our aim is to help organisations of all sizes harness the power of 5G to deliver growth and innovation throughout the West Midlands and beyond.
Let’s talk 5G
Superfast and reliable connectivity – New opportunities – Transforming the West Midlands
5G is the next generation of mobile technology. Put simply, 5G is really fast (5-10 times faster than 4G), it can guarantee very short delays in delivering content and enables many more devices to be connected at the same time. This is important as more and more objects become connected to the internet, such as vehicles, clothing, smart lampposts, cows (yes, really!) and much more. 5G has the potential to deliver many benefits to people, public services and businesses.
Health and care services, transport, the manufacturing and construction industries, and lifelong learning are just some of the areas that will benefit from enhanced connectivity across the public and private sectors.
Imagine 5G
5G is the next generation of mobile network technologies – but what can it deliver?
Imagine…
Downloading a film in seconds rather than minutes while on the move. But that’s only part of the new-look digital era as 5G unlocks new technologies that will revolutionise – and touch – all aspects of our everyday lives.
Imagine…
Connecting with the emergency services to get urgent remote assistance. And much more…. but the most exciting thing is we don’t even know what some of these new services and applications might look like yet.
Imagine…
Travelling via connected autonomous vehicles and many other use cases. What some of these will be we don’t know … because the story to 5G has only just begun.
News & Events
AppyWay use case video
The West Midlands is the first region in the UK to trial the concept of 5G-enabled identification of live kerbside parking availability. With the support of parking technology provider AppyWay, a trials took place on Stratford Road in Birmingham. Read More >
UK5G launches UK’s first 5G Supplier Directory
Today (16th June 2020), UK5G launched the 5G Suppliers Directory, created to harness efficiencies in building effective 5G innovation trials within the UK. Read More >
Revolutionising transport amid a pandemic
The transport world is changing into one where we need to consider how to use our infrastructure in a more agile way. The outbreak of COVID-19 has presented unparalleled challenges to all sectors but transport has been among the most affected. Read More >
Webinar: Supercharging UK plc with 5G – exploring the economic opportunity
Chair of WM5G, Mark Stansfeld will be speaking in a webinar at 2pm on Monday 6th July 2020. "Supercharging UK plc with 5G – exploring the economic opportunity" is a free webinar looking at the potential of 5G to power the digital economy. Read More >
How the industry is manufacturing a 5G future
5G’s increased capacity, low-latency and enhanced security make it ideal to support manufacturers to transform productivity. Read about how 5G will help to open up endless possibilities in manufacturing. Read More >
5G and greater connectivity will transform learning
The way we learn is changing. Read about how 5G can help support learning journeys, in formal or informal education and training, across a variety of subjects, disciplines and interests. Read More >
Why great connectivity is now more important than ever
Connectivity has never been more important. The outbreak of COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on mobile and broadband technology, the enabler for so many of the services we now rely on. Read more about the importance of great connectivity. Read More >
West Midlands Combined Authority appoints digital technology leader Mark Stansfeld to chair West Midlands 5G
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has appointed Mark Stansfeld, co-founder and former chairman of Giffgaff, to chair the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) board of directors. Read More >
Why 5G will prove fundamental to improving Healthcare
Long before the outbreak of COVID-19, our healthcare system was already under a significant amount of pressure. There is an inherent need to improve our healthcare system – with new technologies including 5G vital to improving patient care. Read More >
How West Midlands 5G is helping to keep the region connected during the COVID-19 pandemic
These are unprecedented times and extremely challenging for us all – but rest assured, the telecoms sector is doing everything it can to ensure the UK remains connected. Read the full statement here. Read More >
WM5G dispels 5G health myths and condemns attacks on telecoms engineers and infrastructure
West Midlands 5G stands united with the NHS, scientists, WHO, the UK government and others in condemning the false 5G health risk rumours – including the conspiracy theories linking 5G to Covid-19 – that have been spread on social networks in recent Read More >
WM5G awards O2 contract to launch UK’s first 5G accelerators in three major cities
West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Limited has awarded a major contract to a consortium led by Telefonica UK (O2) to build 5G accelerators in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry. The other consortium members include Deloitte, Wayra and Digital Catapult. Read More >