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The Policy Institute
Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy

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How government can drive 5G innovation

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The UK is establishing itself as a global leader in developing, trialling, and implementing 5G solutions. 

However, unless we take action now to maintain and build on this leadership, our potential competitive advantage may be quickly eroded by a series of infrastructure and policy barriers.

Researchers from the Department of Informatics and the Policy Institute produced a briefing setting out four vital strategic actions for the government to take now, to maintain the UK's global leadership in 5G: 

  1. Better utilise public street furniture for 5G network deployment, with strategy and policy on this ‘owned’ by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

  2. Prioritise efficient usage of public and private digital infrastructure, with public institutions encouraged to share their fibre networks.

  3. Ensure spectrum regulation fosters innovation, including establishinga legal and policy framework to allow enterprises such as to build their own networks for their own clients – in conjunction with traditional operators.

  4. Establish a national approach to building skills in 5G, so that the UK is not playing catch-up, as it’s had to do to develop skills in fields such as AI and big data.