Ask your average mobile-carrying person in the street what they think '5G' stands for and they might very well confuse the term with the gee-gees. In fact, what represents the Fifth Generation of a telecoms revolution is integral towards providing lightning-fast digital horsepower behind plans to modernise Scotland's cities, towns and communities.
5G also represents a vital connection that has powerful linkages with the country's heritage. Especially engineering and an international outlook, of which Scots have enjoyed a global leading reputation for hundreds of years.
If you look at your cell phone you may very well see '3G', perhaps '4G', in a top corner or find the icon in 'settings'. Such third and fourth generation telecoms have been setting the pace for some time now. What 5G carries with it is significantly higher frequencies expected to move data quicker with a peak speed of as much as up to 100 times faster than its predecessors.
Scotland's 5G ecosystem involves the opening of seven hubs throughout Scotland this year. Its aim is to bring testbeds to cities and rural locations to help local businesses, other organisations, you and me, access to expertise needed for digital transformation, so essential to move the country forward.
The Scotland 5G Centre Programme is behind the hubs, staffed by specialists whose job it is to guide everyone and also plays a central role towards creating smart factories with sensors utilising remote tracking and automation technologies. Overlaying key sectors including health, logistics, agritech and manufacturing. Healthcare, for example, is looking at immersive technologies to support software development training for adult carers.
Part of the ongoing work is a rural project where engineers from University of Strathclyde have built a custom, private, shared spectrum, standalone network to showcase the powerful low-cost benefits 5G can bring to broadcasters. Rural connectivity projects aimed at supporting and sustaining more remote communities are finding ways of using such shared spectrums to support an impressive list of key economic targets. These include energy management, fishing and tourism, and next-generation communications. Locations include Loch Lomond and the Orkney Islands, with the development of what amounts to a new operational model leading to improved connectivity for both communities and businesses, especially on the inward investment front.
A key arm of urban-led initiatives involves developing a 5G-enabled Smart Campus promising sustainable and healthier solutions to students, academics and the surrounding community. It is already attracting investment into the area, creating new jobs and leading the way for future smart cities, while contributing to Glasgow's carbon neutral commitment by 2030.
One such testbed saw Scotland at the centre of the universe, when the eyes of the world watched a global event, as the combination of centuries of tradition and ceremony combined to celebrate the life of HRH Queen Elizabeth and lay her to rest.
The world-first for live TV news, using shared radio spectrum, was made possible by an innovative private network, designed and deployed by experts from the software-defined radio 'StrathSDR' team, one of the Scotland 5G Centre's funded projects, and part of the University of Strathclyde. Scotland not only became the backdrop of the action, but its innovators also enabled the communication of high-definition pictures to communicate the historic final journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh Airport and onto London.
The 5G wireless solution was deployed quickly, avoiding the safety hazard of cables running across the airport runway, and guaranteed a high-quality service. The collaboration between innovation centres, academia and business, along with OFCOM, allowed the images to be captured and beamed across the globe, using advanced connectivity with nine hours of live coverage and no reported interference.
Scotland's 5G Centre interim chief executive officer, Derek Waddell, says the centre has made vast progress since its inception three years ago. It has moved from predominantly a research and development role through to funding three projects, together delivering an economic return of over £30m. In the process, it has created high-quality new jobs, a spin-out company, and a toolkit to support increased digital adoption.
Innovation and research projects continue to be supported, one involving founding partner the University of Glasgow, to develop potential commercial and business applications around sensing and imaging. 5G enables the creation of a super-immersive learning experience using a remote-operated robotic arm.
5G is now on the next stage of the journey, making sure no-one is left behind when it comes to digital transformation. A modern Scotland depends on clever use of the very latest and lightning-fast telecoms technology available, coupled with renowned engineering know-how and international recognition. It's all about ensuring that Scotland emerges as a fully digitally-connected country able to compete on the global stage. Fit for the 21st century and beyond.
Former Reuters, Sunday Times, The Scotsman and Glasgow Herald business and finance correspondent, Bill Magee is a columnist writing tech-based articles for Daily Business, Institute of Directors, Edinburgh Chamber and occasionally The Times' 'Thunderer'
