5G private networks to provide digital equality in post-CoVID 19 digital society

About this talk

5G promises high capacity & ultra-reliable wireless connectivity for applications, which 3G/4G cannot provide. But the high-density infrastructure requirement and expensive national spectrum make it difficult for the national operator to commit widespread coverage.

The talk will demonstrate our work on how collectively local authority & 5G private network operators can adopt a data-sharing driven business model and can take the opportunity to help local government to attain digital equality in post-Covid-19 society.

The characteristics of local authority-owned street furniture and public buildings match the density requirement of the network infrastructure. Subsequently, these have significant potential to facilitate faster deployment of 5G infrastructure in collaboration with the local authority. Availability of localized license of 5G compatible spectrum from OFCOM, the abovementioned high-density infrastructure requirement of 5G can be considered as an opportunity for private network operators to work closely with local authorities.

Covid 19 had made this evident that there exists a significant amount of digital poverty in different parts of our society, being an obstacle of moving towards a digital society. It is anticipated that to keep our economy alive post-Covid-19 society to be digital-connectivity dependent more than ever. This is required not only to keep our economy running but also helping public health & environment. To address this, local government as well as central government keen to find evidenced-based solutions to provide digital equality.