Guidance

Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator Competition Winners

This page includes summaries of the winning bids for the Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator (DCIA) pilots competition

Asset Loc8tor

  • Funding: £498,333
  • Location: West Sussex
  • Partners: West Sussex County Council (WSCC), Arun District Council, Adur and Worthing Councils, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council and Mid-Sussex District Council.

WSCC has established a county-wide Mobile Connectivity Asset Management project to better enable Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and their representatives with access to land, buildings and other assets suitable to host communications infrastructure. WSCC has collected and collated asset management data from all two-tier local authorities and conducted a countywide survey of 4G mobile services. Mapping has been overlayed with asset data to consider how to improve coverage in poorly served areas by using Council assets.

Asset Loc8tor builds on progress to date and explores legal and regulatory challenges, risks and issues. Using a neutral host model, we will better understand how to structure arrangements to assist MNOs to invest in greater coverage of 4G services.

Asset Loc8tor asset management platform will enable MNOs and asset owners to:

  • Access high quality asset data of available sites
  • Identify asset owners
  • Communicate with asset owners
  • Understand coverage issues
  • Co-ordinate asset planning and management

Our ambition is to actively work towards achieving a fully automated platform for site acquisition including financial transactions, automated purchasing of access to assets and streamlined processes. We expect to deliver a product to test with the market which could then be further enhanced into a fully integrated platform.

Lee Harris, WSCC Director of Place Services said:

WSCC supports innovation and investment in digital infrastructure to grow the county’s economy and build resilience for the future. As major land and asset owners, all the county’s two-tier authorities recognise their important role in facilitating better digital connectivity by enabling easier access to council owned assets to host electronic communications equipment.

Collectively, the authorities have already taken significant steps toward marketing their assets to accelerate commercial investment in greater coverage of 4G mobile services. With DCIA funding and learning opportunities being made available, our shared ambition can become a reality.

Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group

  • Funding: £500,000
  • Location: West Berkshire
  • Partners: Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group, West Berkshire Council, Bracknell Forrest, Slough Council, Reading Borough Council, The Royal Borough Of Windsor & Maidenhead, Wokingham Borough Council.

The Digital Infrastructure Group, representing the 6 Berkshire Local Authorities, will work to deliver and achieve improved digital connectivity across the Thames Valley Region. By working together collaboratively we will achieve a ‘Connected Berkshire’ and the delivery of our Digital Strategy.

Working with our partners, Asset Market and Vodafone, the project will let us run test processes to help digitise site acquisition. The new platform will then test a number of scenarios across all 6 different regions. These assets include: urban, rural, social housing, town centre, public buildings and transport and street assets. We will deliver a baseline product that has a clean set of data with specific product sets available to all users.

We will establish a single common data environment with accurate mapped information that can be visualised and recorded spatially. By working with our Authorities and Partners we will understand the obstacles, barriers, share lesson learned and overcome issues together.

We will be able to drive consistency in asset data standards and the importance of 5G connectivity, by collaboration with Estates, Legal, Highways and Planning teams. This will shape the way we look at Local Authority asset management and help shape the approach to delivering 5G technology.

Lynne Wilson, Digital Infrastructure Project, Programme Manager said:

We are delighted to be included in the Pilot phase of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator project. With the challenges involved in rolling out wireless networks, this DCMS funding will help us to understand the best way to map existing and planned assets and help rollout wireless communications networks across the region.

We are keen to explore just what can be done to benefit residents and businesses in the short and longer term by using public owned assets. All the hard work and research has paid off and we can’t wait to get started!

  • Funding: £500,000
  • Location: Tay Cities Region (Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Perth and Kinross)
  • Partners: Scottish Futures Trust, Angus Council, Dundee City Council, Fife Council, Perth and Kinross Council.

Building on the work of the Infralink programme, delivered by infrastructure body the Scottish Futures Trust and funded by the Scotland 5G Centre to improve mobile digital connectivity in Scotland, Infralink-Exchange will promote the deployment of macro, small cell and neutral host infrastructure across the Tay Cities region.

Infralink-Exchange will productise the identification and collation of data relating to assets and other data that may be relevant to industry’s site assessment process. The key to this is using existing data sets and data aggregators to transfer the process at scale and to ensure the resulting data is maintained and updated with minimal impact on local authority resource.

A dedicated website will collect and host this data to promote the assets and the associated terms and conditions. A lease management tool on the website will help with the smooth interaction between the local authorities and industry by providing a single point of entry into the organisations during contract negotiation and in-life management.

Sarah Eynon, Project Director said:

We have the opportunity to review and change the way local authorities interact with the mobile sector. With the potential of introducing small cells in large volumes, local authorities will be required to play a more proactive part and we have the chance now to change the process and the dynamic.

By being forthcoming with data, being clear on terms and conditions and interactive processes, Infralink-Exchange will open up dialogue and opportunity to address areas of challenging connectivity, and deploy technology on new assets in an area that covers all geographic and socio-economic bases- effectively a mini-Scotland.

NTCA Future Connectivity Partnership

  • Funding: £496,916
  • Location: North East
  • Partners: North of Tyne Combined Authority, Northumberland County Council, North Tyneside Borough Council, Newcastle City Council, South Tyneside Council, Sunderland City Council.

Through our Partnership we will make it easier, faster, and cheaper for Mobile Network Operators and communities to deploy digital connectivity infrastructure by reusing public assets, streamlining local processes, and standardising our agreement with operators. Through greater visibility of assets and a single point of engagement with us, we will accelerate the deployment of digital infrastructure in the locality to remedy the regional disparity in full-fibre and 5G availability. Our collective aim is to make it easier for operators to deploy assets in our region, and therefore increase connectivity exponentially. Through this and other investment, we will deliver the tele-communications resources that are required to enable our people, our businesses, and our communities to flourish.

The pilot will achieve this through delivering:

  • A redesigned process that makes it easier for operators to know which assets are available and what types of equipment these assets can take.
  • An improved user-experience, from both a Local Authority and Operator perspective.
  • Continued internal upskilling and barrier busting capacity in Local Authorities to build a sustainable approach

Dr Henry Kippin, Managing Director, North of Tyne Combined Authority said:

This DCMS investment is important recognition of our drive to improve digital connectivity for businesses, residents and communities in the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA). Working with our Partners in Sunderland and South Tyneside and across the North East, we are building the collaboration that will keep the region at the forefront of 5g and digital innovation.

This partnership with DCMS will help us reinforce our position as a key tech and digital cluster and unlock further infrastructure investment. It will add to our own £20m+ investment in ‘NTCA Digital’ – direct investment into the tech-ecosystem here which is driving digital innovation, growth, talent pipeline and inward investment”.

The Outcomes Accelerator

  • Funding: £494,734
  • Location: London
  • Partners: The West London Alliance boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Barnet, Brent, Harrow, Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham.

The Outcomes Accelerator project will support quicker deployments of new wireless networks in West London, delivering the benefits for businesses, residents and public services sooner. It is a 12 month targeted programme of work to ensure wireless network operators have access to the information they need to plan new wireless networks and address boroughs priorities. The project will support implementation of digital asset management solutions for mapping and brokerage of publicly owned assets for use in the rollout of wireless communication networks. By streamlining processes, boroughs and operators will reduce time spent planning and contracting new infrastructure.

David Francis, Director of West London Alliance said:

The Outcomes Accelerator is a seven borough collaboration that will support our work with the private sector to bring forward wireless network deployment in West London. It will also provide a blueprint for the rest of London. The project will dovetail with borough led work to tackle digital exclusion and support business innovation, by ensuring all residents and businesses can access affordable, secure and reliable connectivity.

Wessex Digital Infrastructure Accelerator

  • Funding: £499,654
  • Location: Dorset, Hampshire, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
  • Partners: Dorset Council, Hampshire County Council, BCP Council.

The Wessex DCIA project will build on the work started by 5G RuralDorset, having already developed a good understanding of the potential for asset re-use and the importance of mapping specific asset information, so it can be utilised by telecoms infrastructure deployment organisations to speed up delivery and reduce costs. In partnership with a number of the UKs leading mobile network deployment specialists, the project will deliver a “joined up” proof of concept for an asset portal.

Jill Haynes, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Corporate Development and Transformation, said:

Dorset has two ambitious unitary councils which understand the power of digital to make their areas better places to live, work and visit. It’s essential that we have a joined up view of the thousands of public assets that can help deliver the connectivity our communities need.

I’m delighted we have won this money to work with our neighbouring councils, government and industry partners. It will allow us to take the asset mapping work done as part of the successful 5G RuralDorset project to the next level, allowing quicker and cheaper roll-outs of broadband and wireless networks.

The West of England Combined Authority’s Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator

  • Funding: £498,000
  • Location: West of England Local Enterprise Partnership geography (including the Local Authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol City, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.)
  • Partners: West of England Combined Authority, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council

Bringing our Local Authorities together with major mobile telecoms industry partners (Three, BT Wholesale and Cellnex Connectivity Solutions), the West of England Combined Authority’s Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator project seeks to increase the roll-out and densification of 5G across the region. Working with Sitenna as our platform partner, the project will investigate how digital asset management platforms can support and increase the use of local authority owned assets as host sites for the range of hardware needed to achieve improved 5G coverage. This Accelerator project is an important first step towards accelerating 5G roll out using publicly owned assets. Meeting the Combined Authority’s target of 95% gigabit capable coverage by 2026 will require rapid roll-out of both fixed and mobile broadband. Mobile (i.e. 5G/4G) broadband will help connect more rural and ‘hard to reach’ communities and will be key to addressing the final 5% of properties and businesses currently without suitable connectivity.

West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris said:

This maximum £500,000 is a great win for the West of England. It will help speed up the roll-out of digital networks that local people need and deserve.

The West of England Combined Authority which I lead will now be able to accelerate the roll-out of wireless networks across our region improving digital connectivity. This will particularly help more rural communities – so local people can get even better access to online services vital for success in the modern world.

WMCA

  • Funding: £499,769
  • Location: West Midlands Combined Authority region
  • Partners: West Midlands Combined Authority, Warwickshire County Council, Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Council, Sandwell Council, Solihull Council, Walsall, Wolverhampton.

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is at the forefront of 5G technology, supported by West Midlands 5G (WM5G). WM5G has been pivotal in ensuring the West Midlands is the UK’s best-connected region for 5G, with a portfolio of 30+ use cases demonstrating how 5G can transform productivity and enhance the local economy.

The region is the first to produce a Connected Map, this DCIA pilot provides an excellent opportunity to further develop and prove this concept. 400,000+ assets mapped to-date and the creation of simplified processes and standardised agreements has allowed quicker access to assets, reducing deployment timeframes by 6 months. The new platform will maximise automation of the end-to-end process, focussing on improvements. The end-goal is to create a solution that works for both asset owners and landlords, and delivers a commercial model that can be self-sustaining with the ability to deliver a national rollout.

This pilot is critical in levelling-up the West Midlands. On a micro level providing benefits by adding automation and further standardisation to the acquisition process, reducing time and costs. At the macro level, increasing connectivity creates multiple opportunities to close the digital divide ensuring greater inclusion for citizens, whilst allowing businesses to become more efficient and competitive.

Ian Martin, Investment and Commercial Activities Director, West Midlands Combined Authority said:

We are really pleased to participate in this pilot via the DCMS funding competition. This pilot offers the opportunity to grow the benefits our team have already delivered, advancing the region’s position not only as a leader in the testing and implementation of 5G technology and its uses but ensuring the West Midlands is the best-connected region in the UK.

The biggest barrier to increasing advanced connectivity is the enabling infrastructure, by building and proving an automated platform such as this, we will facilitate the continued deployment of 5G across the region and hopefully wider.

Published 8 February 2022