The UK government has announced the 19 winners of a share of £80 million in funding of its Open Network Systems competition.

The government department for Science, Innovation and Technology said it was interested in projects which focused on addressing three key network challenges areas.

These areas are High Demand Density (HDD), how the openness and interoperability of Open RAN software, including Near-Real-Time or Real-Time RIC technologies and apps, could be improved, and the development of performant open interface RAN hardware, the government said.

BEACH, a project to implement an energy-efficient shared mobile network in Worthing, was one of the biggest winners, receiving almost £9 million of the fund pool.

The project, led by Dense Air, aims to develop and deploy optimised, low-impact 4G/5G small cells along Worthing’s beach promenade and in its town centre.

“BEACH will strengthen wireless networks across Worthing, benefitting residents, local businesses, and more,” said Paul Senior, founder and chairman of Dense Air.

Liverpool City Region HDD was also awarded around £9 million for its project aimed at showcasing the benefits of Open RAN (Open Radio Access Network) technology in optimising real-world performance in high-connectivity environments.

The organisation said its project’s approach includes delivering a simulated environment for efficient network and application design and development, thereby reducing risks in deployment.

Another recipient of significant funding was Glasgow-based SCONDA. Its project seeks to address the unique technical and commercial challenges of High-Density Demand areas and will attempt to integrate Open RAN and Traditional RAN in a high density, high demand environments handling live traffic.

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