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Tech

The £30m competition to bring superfast broadband to rural communities

The 5G competition has been launched by the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ Government

5G(Image: Getty Images)

The º£½ÇÊÓÆµ Government has launched £30m competition for the testing of 5G applications in rural areas.

The initiative will see up to ten rural locations chosen to run trials of 5G-related technology, which would involve superfast 5G test networks being established.

Up to ten rural locations will be chosen to run trials of 5G applications and stimulate commercial investment in 5G technology which offers mobile speeds 10 to 20 times faster than previous generations.

The Government said it hoped the scheme, called the Rural Connected Communities competition, could help stimulate investment in 5G and help countryside communities take advantage of the technology.

 

Similar schemes have already been set up in the Orkney Islands to remotely monitor salmon fisheries and improve the efficiency of wind farms, and in Shropshire, where 5G trials have been used to help the farming industry with targeted crop-spraying and soil analysis with drones and tractors.

Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "The British countryside has always been a hotbed of pioneering industries and we're making sure our rural communities aren't left behind in the digital age.

"We're investing millions so the whole country can grasp the opportunities and economic benefits of next-generation 5G technology.

"In modern Britain, people expect to be connected wherever they are. And so we're committed to securing widespread mobile coverage and must make sure we have the right planning laws to give the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ the best infrastructure to stay ahead."