Telecoms firms BT and Ericsson have announced a multi-million-pound partnership to deliver commercial 5G private networks to the UK.

Private networks will provide the UK with indoor and outdoor 5G cellular coverage to factories, university campuses and other locations where security and ultra-low latency connectivity are important.

News of the partnership follows BT’s recent announcement that it will invest almost £100 million over three years into its ‘Division X’ unit – an initiative aimed at developing a range of solutions which integrate emerging technologies including 5G, Edge Compute, and AI.

Marc Overton, managing director at BT’s division X, said: “This UK-first we have signed with Ericsson is a huge milestone and will play a major role in enabling businesses’ transformation, ushering in a new era of hyper-connected spaces.

“We have combined our skill and expertise at building converged fixed and mobile networks with Ericsson’s leading, sustainable and secure 5G network equipment, to offer a pioneering new proposition that will be attractive to many industries.”

Katherine Ainley, chief executive at Ericsson UK & Ireland, added: “This ground-breaking agreement with BT means we are together taking a leading role in ensuring 5G has a transformative impact for the UK.

“The high quality, fast and secure connectivity provided by Ericsson Private 5G can help organisations make all-important efficiency gains that can create safer, more productive, and sustainable business operations.”

A recent forecast by MarketResearch.com predicts that 5G Private Networks will grow at an average rate of 40 per cent per year between 2021 and 2028 with the market reaching a valuation of $14bn (£10.7bn).

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