The UK Government has announced a £23 million investment in telecoms research and development, aimed at strengthening connectivity across key industries including meeting growing AI and cloud computing demands.
The funding, part of Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle’s plans to accelerate the implementation of next-generation telecoms technologies, will be confirmed during his speech at the techUK Tech Policy Conference today.
Mr Kyle said, “The UK has deep pedigree and expertise when it comes to developing, commercialising and rolling out the most advanced telecoms tech. Today, it is all the more important that we back our telecoms innovators to get their ideas out of the lab and into use, in every part of the country.”
The funding has been allocated across two key areas. The first £7 million will support local projects integrating 5G into businesses and public services. The remaining £15 million will be directed towards research to meet the increasing data demands of industries like AI and cloud computing.
This investment is part of a wider effort to strengthen Britain’s digital infrastructure and support emerging technologies.
Mr Kyle added, “None of our ambitions for national renewal will be possible without a backbone of telecoms tech that can meet the needs of burgeoning new industries like AI and data centres, and turbocharge existing enterprises too”.
A significant portion of the funding will be allocated to three future communications research hubs, focusing on developing next-generation technology. The University of Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, and Imperial College will lead various projects.
The government has indicated that this initial funding round forms part of a broader strategy to build secure and resilient telecoms infrastructure.
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