£10 million has been awarded to launch the UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN), a new body dedicated to boosting creativity in the country’s telecoms supply chain.

The Smart Internet Lab were winners of the competition to set up and oversee the network along with consortium partners Digital Catapult, CW (Cambridge Wireless Ltd) and West Midlands 5G.

The UKTIN will act as an information and ideas hub for industry and academics looking to access funding or R&D testing facilities and opportunities to collaborate on developing new mobile and broadband technology. 

UKTIN is up and running and started in October 2022 in taking over from UK5G.org to help organisations get the most out of what the UK has to offer in Future Telecommunication UK’s landscape.

Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, FREng, FIEEE, Co-Director of Bristol Digital Futures Institute and Director of the Smart Internet Lab at the University of Bristol, said: “The University of Bristol, through the Smart Internet Lab, is an international leader in Future Networks research and innovation.

“Having been actively engaged with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) #5G Testbeds and Trials and the Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification programmes for several years, we have produced significant innovation and policy outcomes. We are now looking forward to working with our UKTIN partners to drive long term telecoms research strategy in collaboration with the UK academic and industry ecosystem.”