UK's first standalone 5G network to power up Milton Keynes

The UK's first 5G network has been launched in the English town of Milton Keynes, which could stand to power driverless cars, medical equipment and robots as part of a collaboration between Milton Keynes Council and network provider Connected Places Catapult (CPC).

The "MK:5G" project is looking to trial advanced movement and hostility logistics by powering autonomous vehicles to help manage traffic flow or increase ease of access to prudent healthcare by monitoring patients without the need to see a specialist as part of a local plan to turn the town into a smart city.

This marks a continuation of Milton Keynes becoming a hub for technological innovation, coming a little more than a year after autonomous robotics specialists, Starship Technologies, used tiny robots to deliver packages of food to the local population during the height of the pandemic.

Read more: The robots delivering food during coronavirus lockdown

The 5G network mainly extends through the town's centre, stretching to some of the outer districts for high-density areas, including the train station, local hospitals, and the university.

The project is being managed by MK's Council and has seen over £2 million (€2.31 million) in funding from the government and a stimulus from the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP).

“This SEMLEP investment has put Milton Keynes in an incredible position," according to its CEO Hilary Chipping. "[it enables] businesses in the city to advance and deploy real solutions to issues and challenges that affect us all."

Brian Matthews, Head of Transport Innovation at Milton Keynes Council said the MK:5G project represents an important step in the town becoming "greener, cleaner and smarter."

He added: "The new technology brings several significant benefits, ranging from managing traffic flow to providing better healthcare. The project has been a fantastic example of collaboration between Milton Keynes Council, SEMLEP and some of the UK's leading technology companies.”

It has seen backing from a number of key businesses from across the UK.

AI specialists Fotech will be tweaking the driverless car tech to help minimise congestion, and ensure vehicles meet certain clean air standards and use their monitoring service to analyse traffic, whereas Kar-go - hosted by the Academy of Robotics - will operate the autonomous bot vehicle network and ensure deliveries are made without hitches.

Kar-go looks set to become a familiar delivery vehicle on the streets of Milton Keynes, with the Academy of Robotics selected to pilot and test the city’s new 5G technology.

The technology used is groundbreaking and could enable driverless delivery vehicles to become a fixture of British road, according to William Sachiti, CEO and founder of the Academy of Robotics.

He said: “Having an incredible Wi-Fi connection, thanks to MK:5G, will mean we can control remotely and monitor every aspect of what we are seeing.

"Kar-go is designed to travel on unmarked as well as marked roads and thanks to our unique vision system our electric vehicle is capable of delivering packages and parcels to addresses not just in city-centres, but also to suburban and rural locations.“

The vehicles used by the company have been designed as a green alternative to traditional delivery vans. Capable of driving up to speeds of 60 mph (96 kph) and covering 60 miles (96 km) on a single charge, this kind of vehicle could stand to drastically reduce the environmental impacts of the e-commerce and delivery sectors.

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With current technology, the vehicles focus on the delivery of shoebox-sized parcels. Delivery costs can account for a much as one-third of the cart value and often put increasing pressure on margins for both retailers and logistics companies.

Other companies working on the project include Imperium Drive, which will be working to deliver some of the UK's most advanced autonomous vehicle tech; Briteyellow: A new app and wearable smart device for vulnerable and elderly people, designed to save lives; and WarnerPatch: A device designed to reduce emergency surgeries and hospital re-admissions for patients with cancer and chronic illnesses.

Other partners on MK:5G include the Milton Keynes Dons, an association football club looking to extend the project's coverage to its 30,000+ capacity home stadium, and British Telecommunications, who will provide the network and much of the basic 5G infrastructure.

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