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June 24, 2021, 12:07 am
The opening of Government-backed Sonic Labs is the latest step towards greater tech diversity following a ban on Huawei-made 5G kit (Steve Parsons/PA)
A new high-tech 5G lab designed to make the UK less reliant on a small number of multinational suppliers has launched, as the Government attempts to fill the void left by Huawei.
The Sonic Labs facility, based in London and Brighton, will aim to accelerate the development of 5G communication kit that is interoperable with components made by others to prevent over-reliance on one firm.
It comes after the Government ordered operators in the UK to strip their networks of Huawei-made 5G equipment by 2027 over security concerns, following US sanctions restricting Huawei’s ability to build chips.
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However, low demand for these better services could hinder the Government’s ambition for at least 85 per-cent of the UK to have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2025. The UK’s ability to capitalise on the rollout of next-generation gigabit broadband is at risk because too few consumers and businesses are aware of the technology and its benefits, according to a report. Around six in 10 consumers (59 per-cent) and 33 per-cent of small and micro businesses are not aware of gigabit-capable broadband despite the Government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit investment and a slew of ads from broadband providers, a report by the Gigabit Take-up Advisory Group (GigaTAG) found.
One gigabit is the equivalent of 1,000 megabits, capable of downloading a high-definition film in under a minute.
However, low demand for these better services could hinder the Government’s ambition for at least 85% of the UK to have access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2025.
The GigaTAG, assembled by Which?, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) at the request of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), has recommended that Ofcom and the broadband industry work together on clear and common terminology to cut through advertising jargon and describe gigabit broadband and its benefits in straightforward terms.