Iconic sporting venues and tourism hotspots across Worcestershire will see trials of new mobile tech provide improved connectivity. This increases the resilience of the UK mobile network and ensures we are not overly reliant on any one form of technology.
Examples include the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, the oldest motor racing venue in the world to still run events. It holds between 20 and 30 events a year, bringing large numbers of people to the area with next to no mobile coverage, but where medical support is often required. The location is also used for product launches, photo shoots and weddings.
Tourism is important to Worcester with a number of markets, festivals and annual events. One of the challenges of the Worcestershire towns is that whilst 10,000 people might go to a town for a weekend, that has not been planned for by the traditional mobile operators. The thin layer of coverage they have installed does not have the capacity to cope with a busy market day. The ONE WORD project is tackling this by building, four-wheel drive electric vehicle akin to a quad bike with a pop up 5G mast to provide coverage as and when it is needed. The County Council and partners are trialling and demonstrating the use of a “network on wheels” advanced wireless solution that can be deployed to help support planned events and shows throughout the year held across our rural county.
The first event has already taken place in Malvern. Being able to showcase what this project can do at one of the county’s biggest events, has shown that this is not only great for events like this, but also highlights the potential to improve the quality of life in our county and drive economic growth.
This equipment can also be pressed into service in the event of flooding. It floods a lot in Worcestershire and the ability to pop up coverage quickly for emergency services and as part of the disaster response, is an important capacity that the council wants to explore.
