UK GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES 5G COMPETITION

The Future RAN Competition (FRANC) is a key part of the UK Government’s 5G Diversification Strategy, which has been published since the decision at the end of 2020 to remove Huawei equipment from the UK’s 5G infrastructure planning.

This £250 million funded strategy has a specific aim to create a secure and innovative supply chain environment that is more accessible for companies wishing to enter the market and offer an alternative to a limited number of multinational suppliers who retain monopoly control of service provision. 

The newly announced competition is expected to contribute to the delivery of this Diversification Strategy because it will attract new international 5G RAN suppliers, while also encouraging research collaboration with UK companies already within the public telecoms sector.

Matt Warman, Digital Infrastructure Minister for the UK Government notes. “The aim is to get some of our most creative minds helping the UK safely and securely deliver the amazing benefits of 5G for people and businesses. It is a major part of our plans to harness the country’s tech’ prowess, open up the telecoms market, and create new jobs and investment as we build back better from the pandemic.”

The port industry is expected to be a major player in the introduction of 5G in the UK. For example, in 2021 the largest volume container port in the UK, Felixstowe, announced the deployment of 5G technology to enhance productivity, efficiency and safety across its core operations.

“We want to unlock 5G’s potential to revolutionise a wide range of UK industries and 5G Ports is just one project the government is backing to achieve this. Our ports will be more vital than ever as we forge an ambitious new global trading position for the UK post-Brexit, so I’m eager to see what 5G can do to maximise efficiency at Britain’s biggest and busiest container port in Felixstowe,” states Warman.