England’s Connected Heartland Selects Vodafone for 5G Pilot Project at Harwell Campus

January 14, 2025
  • England’s Connected Heartland has selected Vodafone to build and manage a 5G standalone mobile private network at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.

  • The project will serve as a model for other science parks across the region.

  • Work on this high-profile project is expected to commence soon.

  • The ECH programme is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

England’s Connected Heartland (ECH) has announced Vodafone as the supplier for a transformative 5G project at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. Following a competitive procurement process, Vodafone will deploy a 5G standalone mobile private network to enhance wireless connectivity for technology laboratories, startups, and research institutions at the campus.

Why a 5G project at Harwell?

Each 5G Innovation Region, including England’s Connected Heartland, has identified specific projects to boost the adoption of advanced wireless connectivity. The projects will raise awareness and generate demand for 5G in the regionally significant rail and advanced manufacturing sectors. 5G can be transformational for these industries – and these projects will provide a chance to showcase the benefits and commercial viability of investing in advanced wireless infrastructure. Both projects are designed to be replicable across the ECH region and more widely across the UK. 

Harwell, known for its cutting-edge laboratories and research institutions, is an ideal location for piloting a 5G project. The new 5G network will provide high-speed, secure connectivity, enabling businesses and organisations to customise performance to meet their specific needs. It will open up significant opportunities for advanced manufacturing firms, research and development establishments, and wider campus operations.

The 5G Mobile Private Network (MPN) will facilitate the creation of specialised services that are not feasible on public networks, fostering innovation in sectors such as manufacturing, transport, logistics, energy, and healthcare. This includes advanced use cases like asset tracking, drone detection, machine-to-machine connectivity, condition monitoring, and augmented and virtual reality. Businesses at Harwell have defined requirements for resilient internet connectivity, assembly line IoT devices, asset tracking, and many other use cases being explored.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “With Vodafone supporting the new 5G digital infrastructure, we’re poised to explore the untapped potential of this exciting technology at Harwell, helping some of the most innovative businesses in the UK to continue to thrive.”

Claire Harris, Head of Small, Medium and Enterprise Business at Vodafone UK, added: “We’re delighted to partner with Oxfordshire County Council on this project. This initiative will not only boost efficiency and productivity but also foster the development of new use cases. The enhanced connectivity will empower businesses and research institutions to thrive, driving UK economic growth and technological advancement.”

Dr. Barbara Ghinelli, Director, Innovation Clusters and Harwell Campus at UKRI-STFC, commented:  “The 5G mobile private network will empower our diverse research and development community. Harwell, as the first science and innovation campus project in the England’s Connected Heartland programme, is an ideal fit for this pioneering project. I am particularly excited that this project can serve as a framework for implementing 5G at other science parks across the ECH region, benefitting UK industry.” 

Antonio Franchi, Head of Space for 5G/6G at the European Space Agency (ESA), Harwell Campus, said: “The new network will help advance ESA’s efforts in terrestrial and non-terrestrial network integration. This infrastructure will augment our research into 5G and 6G solutions, aiming to improve productivity and enable applications in transport, autonomous vehicles, and energy. We look forward to seeing the people and businesses in Harwell Campus benefit from this advanced connectivity.”

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