Vodafone to Enhance Connectivity at Harwell Science Campus with 5G Private Network

Vodafone to Enhance Connectivity at Harwell Science Campus with 5G Private Network

(IN BRIEF) Vodafone has been chosen by Oxfordshire County Council to deploy and manage a 5G Standalone (5G SA) mobile private network (MPN) at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. The new network will provide cutting-edge wireless connectivity for research institutions, startups, and technology labs, enhancing their capabilities with secure, high-speed, and low-latency 5G connectivity.

(PRESS RELEASE) BERKSHIRE, 18-Feb-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Vodafone has been selected by Oxfordshire County Council to install a state-of-the-art 5G Standalone (5G SA) mobile private network (MPN) at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, located near Didcot. This network will revolutionize wireless connectivity at the campus, providing high-speed, low-latency, and high-bandwidth connectivity to foster innovation among the diverse technology companies, startups, and research institutions based there.

The new 5G SA MPN will play a pivotal role in enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) devices used by campus tenants. It will offer continuous and uninterrupted connectivity for IoT systems, ensuring real-time control over production processes and seamless mobility across buildings. This will be particularly beneficial during tasks such as voice and video calls, where stable, high-quality connectivity is essential even as users move between locations.

One of the key advantages of the private network will be the heightened security it provides. With enhanced privacy protections, the MPN will allow organisations like Siemens and the European Space Agency to safely access specialised services that would be unsuitable on a public network. This includes high-demand applications such as machine-to-machine communication, drone detection, and advanced augmented and virtual reality technologies.

This initiative is part of the UK Government’s 5G Innovation Region programme, which supports the development of advanced wireless technologies. The Oxfordshire project is being managed on behalf of England’s Connected Heartland (ECH), a collaborative effort between five local authorities—Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Central Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire—dedicated to driving the adoption of 5G technology in the region.

Vodafone, a recognized leader in 5G SA MPN technology, is proud to be at the forefront of these developments. For more information about the benefits of mobile private networks and to explore their use cases, visit Vodafone’s dedicated 5G and MPN technology pages.

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SOURCE: Vodafone Group