5G RuralFirst looks at smart farming, spectrum sharing and broadcasting

Cisco has revealed more details and partners for a project that will look to determine the benefits and business case for the use of 5G to solve rural connectivity challenges.

‘RuralFirst’ was one of six 5G projects to receive a grant of up to £5 million from the government and will see 32 organisations hold trials across an end-to-end testbed located in Orkney, rural Shropshire and rural Somerset.

All three locations will be linked to Cisco’s 5G cloud platform through a data centre in Glasgow and the testbed will trial new wireless and networking technologies, spectrum sharing, applications and services, and business models, tackling industries such as agriculture, broadcasting and utilities.

Cisco said that 5G could address many rural issues in a way that 2G, 3G or even 4G have been unable to until now.

Ambition

“We have the ambition, the innovative heritage and the expert ecosystems to shape the UK’s digital future, but to do so we have to address fundamental issues like making internet connectivity work for everyone,” declared Nick Chrissos, director of Innovation at Cisco Europe.

“5G RuralFirst looks to help close the digital divide in the UK. To uncover the opportunities and challenges faced in 5G deployment, and to ensure that it can do what other generations have yet to. It’s not only about implementing the right technology in the right way.

“It’s about designing networking technology intelligently from the very start. Giving careful consideration to critical issues like security; which becomes even more complex when you are connecting everything from drones to autonomous tractors.”

The BBC will see how 5G can be used to deliver radio broadcasts, while the University of Strathclyde will investigate dynamic spectrum sharing to see how automatically assigned bandwidth can lower the cost of applications.

Smart farming trials will see drones and connected vehicles deployed, while a utilities trial will look at how the IoT can monitor energy networks. Other participants include BT, Microsoft and Lime Microsystems.

The government hopes the UK’s research base and startup community will allow it to take a leadership role in 5G. The first commercial 5G networks are expected to launch in Britain in 2020.

“New technology has the potential to transform business and society and we’re determined nowhere in the UK will be left behind by a 5G future,” said Margot James, minister for digital and the creative industries. “These testbeds will show how our rural communities can harness the power of this revolution in connectivity, bringing benefits across agriculture, industry and wider society.”

Want to find out more about 5G? Check out our dedicated 5G hub 

Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro's resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade's experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media. 

Latest in Phone & Communications
GlocalMe KeyTracker
When I tested this global tracker, it trounced the Apple AirTag in so many ways
Privacy Hero II
I tested this secure router and the bundled year of VPN service feels mostly like a marketing exercise
ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola
I reviewed the ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola and while it's not as fast as its predecessor, it's the superior phone in so many ways
FRITZ!Box 7690 WiFi 7 Router
FRITZ!Box tries to embrace both business and home customers with its new 7690 router
Ulefone Armor Pad 4 Ultra Thermal
Other than screen reflection, I’m still looking for the downside to the Ulefone Armor Pad 4 Ultra Thermal tablet
Unihertz Tank Pad 8849
Carrying the Unihertz Tank Pad 8849 provided me with a full workout
Latest in News
Super Mario Odyssey
ChatGPT is the ultimate gaming tool - here's 4 ways you can use AI to help with your next playthrough
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple Original Films will take you behind-the-scenes of a racing cockpit in this new thrilling F1 movie trailer
AI writer
Coding AI tells developer to write it himself
Reacher looking down at another character from the Prime Video TV series Reacher
Reacher season 3 becomes Prime Video’s biggest returning show thanks to Hollywood’s biggest heavyweight
Finger Presses Orange Button Domain Name Registration on Black Keyboard Background. Closeup View
I visited the world’s first registered .com domain – and you won’t believe what it’s offering today
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock