Julian Knight MP has welcomed the news that the West Midlands has won the right to be the first major national testbed for Britain’s new 5G network.
Margot James, the Digital Minister, announced on Tuesday that the Combined Authority area has won the Urban Connected Communities competition to be the pilot.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport will invest £50 million into the project. The West Midlands will contribute £25 million, and the remaining £75 million will have to come from private investors.
Commenting on the news, Julian said:
“As a long-standing campaigner for better digital connectivity for Solihull I’m delighted that the West Midlands has won the opportunity to host one of the world’s first large-scale pilots of 5G is a huge vote of confidence in the area and its leadership.
“5G will give local residents the best mobile connectivity in the country. It will also be a real boon to local business, who often tell me how up-to-date internet infrastructure is increasingly essential to success in our globalised, online world.”