5G Innovators sought to revolutionise transport sector

5PRING, the consortium behind the UK’s first 5G commercial application accelerator has announced the Future of Transport challenge.

As part of the programme market-leading organisations, HS2 Ltd, Port of Tyne, National Express, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and BCRRE (Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education) have set a series of challenges for start-ups and SMEs to solve, using 5G-enabled solutions.

Each supporting organisation has contributed its own specific challenges to the open call, which offers disruptive and innovative companies working in the sector the opportunity to put forward solutions.

Successful applicants will receive access to cutting edge technology via a private 5G network, a tailored acceleration programme, as well as coaching, mentoring and expertise provided by experts from the leading organisations, and 5PRING consortium members Telefonica UK (O2), Deloitte, Wayra and Digital Catapult.

The Future of Transport challenge will provide start-ups and other small businesses with support in developing and scaling innovations that harness the power of 5G to enhance and encourage sector growth.

The challenge will provide entrants with opportunities to undertake transformative use cases and explore innovative solutions from across the transport industry, covering topics including:

• Customer Experience at public transport stations
• Railway Station Management
• Infrastructure Monitoring, Operations and Logistics
• Geotechnical Operations (Unique to HS2 Ltd and National Express)

Applicants with 5G-enabled solutions which leverage augmented reality, computer vision, IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics, area encouraged to apply.

The full list of the Future of Transport challenge areas, market-leading challenge owners and specific 5G-enabled solutions can be found on the 5PRING application page.

Last year, West Midlands 5G (WM5G) and collaborators O2, Deloitte, Digital Catapult and Wayra announced the launch of the UK’s first commercial accelerators – 5PRING – to develop the first region-wide 5G testbed.

Robert Franks, Managing Director at WM5G, said:

Participants to this open call are being asked to consider a wide range of different challenges and obstacles and we are hoping to capture some truly fantastic, innovative solutions from small businesses that may not otherwise have access to this kind of audience.

The guidance and expert advice that our 5PRING teams can provide both virtually and through our dedicated Accelerator hubs in Coventry, Wolverhampton and Birmingham are leading the way.

Applications for the accelerator are now open and should be submitted by midnight on 24 September 2021.

Successful applicants will start working with 5PRING from 8th November 2021 and a series of engagement events will run throughout the 5PRING programme.

For more information, visit the 5pring website.

WM5G’s 5PRING is being delivered in partnership with an O2-led consortium, and supported by Wayra UK, Deloitte and Digital Catapult, and is also supported by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) Local Growth Fund.

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