Scotland’s 5G Hub officially launches its 5G Innovation Hub in Ayrshire | So Good News

The Scottish 5G Center (S5GC) has launched its latest 5G innovation hub in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.

S5GC was established in October 2019 as a national hub to accelerate the deployment and adoption of 5G and realize its economic and social potential. The University of Strathclyde, where the center is located, is a partnership between the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Futures Trust.

The S5GC is designed to enable all types of businesses to take advantage of next-generation networking technology. This allows businesses of all sizes and stages to visit the hubs and experience 5G firsthand. The live testbeds to be opened across the regions will enable the S5GConnect program to accelerate the adoption of 5G in Scotland with improved digital connectivity supporting new opportunities and economic progress through innovation.

S5GC also seeks to introduce new ways of connecting people and places to support equalizing the digital divide.

The 5G Mobile Private Networks (MPNs) will be located in Scotland’s 5G Center Aberdeen and HALO Kilmarnock innovation hubs. These locations were first announced in March 2022 and feature a scaled-down and isolated data network that offers 5G data services and helps business customers deliver new applications and services using Vodafone 5G connectivity. Expert staff help companies develop, prototype and test 5G-enabled real-world applications and use cases.

The new hub is based at Kilmarnock’s Halo Enterprise and Innovation Center and follows Vodafone’s eight-week installation of a dedicated 5G mobile private network that local businesses can access for free. Because of this, companies can explore and adopt new digital capabilities with benefits such as increased productivity, reduced downtime, improved customer experience, unmatched digital security, and reduced costs and carbon footprints.

“I am delighted to be launching the S5GConnect HALO Kilmarnock Innovation Hub with the support of our partners Vodafone and Halo,” said Sharon Neely, Business Engagement Manager at S5GConnect HALO Kilmarnock. “The Innovation Hub provides knowledge, expertise and space for businesses to prototype, design and test goods and services over their own 5G network. We look forward to supporting local companies and local public sector bodies, enabling them to unlock the benefits of 5G-enabled technology and enable them to achieve step-change in their businesses.”

At the launch of the site, businesses, local authorities and Ayrshire community members heard how the Center is working with the private and public sectors to deliver 5G-enabled business transformation through a suite of national innovation hubs across Scotland. . Participants also took part in a series of demonstrations supporting 5G.

The University of Glasgow – one of the Centre’s founding partners – highlighted how organizations can remotely monitor room capacity and desk occupancy, which, when combined with artificial intelligence, can be used to collect data on peak worker times for energy savings and reductions. their carbon emissions.

Vodafone demonstrated mixed reality technology that combines the real and virtual worlds, technology used in training to improve the mastery of complex processes and the speed of repetitive tasks, as well as enabling remote support for specialists on-site. engineers.

Kim Moran-Hogg, Head of Vodafone Business Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “Vodafone HALO is delighted to once again partner with the Scottish 5G Center to launch a second 5G hub in Kilmarnock. This testbed will ensure that Scottish businesses and public authorities have access to next-generation technologies powered by state-of-the-art private networks.

“It is vital that cutting-edge technologies are available to enable both businesses and citizens, and 5G is essential to deliver these capabilities, ensuring that the benefits of digital reach every community in the UK. This center of excellence in Kilmarnock can be a showcase for Scotland and the whole of the UK.”