The Digital Infrastructure Group has been engaged with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Asset Market, the DIG partner authorities and the mobile network operator community through the Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator (DCIA) Pilot Programme to map asset data and develop an Asset Register that Authorities can utilise with suppliers and mobile network operators.
The DCIA Pilot Programme seeks to digitalise and automate the process of finding and securing rights-of-use of suitable locations for deployment of advanced wireless equipment. The aim is to make the site acquisition process between public sector asset owners and telecommunications infrastructure providers as streamlined as possible to meet the needs of all stakeholders and ultimately to help accelerate 5G deployment and secure further market investment.
The DCIA pilot will make a positive difference to the region by establishing a common approach to 4G/5G deployment across all the partner authorities that will eventually enable faster more efficient deployment and significantly reduce the barriers local authority teams face in administering applications, re-submissions and resource intensive dialogue with mobile network operators.
The work has also developed best practice for standardised small cell (access) legal agreements to provide open access for the telecoms industry to enable the roll out of standard contracts across Berkshire (see also 5G Small Cell Access Agreements).
The DCIA pilot represents an example of DIG and its partners authorities successfully working with Government and the market in bidding for funding and successfully delivering one of only eight national pilots.
Further information on the DCIA Pilot can be found at Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator programme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
UPDATE
The DCIA Project has now entered closure, after an extended pilot the programme will no longer continue however, the trial proved that by sharing asset knowledge and making infrastructure available, it will help implement 5G deployment across many regions of the UK.
Some of this work will be picked up by the 5G Test beds and trials initiative run by Central Government and also by the recent 5G Innovation Regions funding call.