Infralink-Exchange
Infralink-Exchange is a pathfinder project that has been awarded £500k of funding from the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to explore how street furniture can be used to greatly enhance mobile digital connectivity.
This pathfinder builds on the work of Infralink funded by the Scotland 5G Centre, by aiming to create a database of public sector owned infrastructure, such as land, buildings, streetlights and CCTV, available for mobile phone operators to install their macro and small network transmitters.
Infralink-Exchange will be tested across the Tay Cities region (Angus Council, Dundee City Council, Fife Council and Perth and Kinross Council) and when operational, will attract the mobile industry to work with these local authorities and invest in improved mobile coverage in communities across the region.
Infralink-Exchange is being developed with financial support from Scottish Government, with development support from Sitenna, Connected Places Catapult, the Improvement Service, the Scotland 5G Centre and FarrPoint.
DCIA
The UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) helps to drive growth, enrich lives and promote Britain abroad. The DCMS protects and promotes Britain’s cultural and artistic heritage and helps businesses and communities to grow by investing in innovation and highlighting Britain as a fantastic place to visit. It helps give the UK a unique advantage on the global stage, striving for economic success.
During 2021, the DCMS ran a Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator (DCIA) competition aimed at finding pathfinder projects that would greatly enhance mobile digital connectivity.
In February 2022, the DCMS announced that the Scottish Futures Trust's Infralink Exchange pilot was one of eight projects across the UK to share £4m of funding.
Details of the eight projects can be found here.
