MORE than 200 volunteers are being sought to help pilot a mobile network aimed at vastly improving digital connectivity in Bath city centre.   

Project-specific E-Sim and SIM cards are being given to volunteers to test the network and at least 50 high-specification handsets are also being provided to help test the network’s resilience in a high-density environment.

Earlier this year Bath and North East Somerset Council successfully secured a £773,132 government grant to fund the 18-month scheme called One Word which will test a next generation 5G mobile network in the city among three other locations in the South West.

One Word aims to address the mobile network connectivity and capacity issues experienced in Bath and reduce a digital inequality gap.

Anyone who is interested in taking part in the six-month period testing the network is being asked to fill in the following form: https://staging.bathnes.gov.uk/sign-test-5g-bath

Councillor Paul Roper, cabinet member for economic and cultural sustainable development, said: “We want to give residents and frequent visitors to Bath city centre the opportunity to join us on this project as One Word testers. Volunteers will be given specific SIM cards and pilot the scheme which will then provide the information we need to improve investment, accessibility and connectivity in the city.

“Many of us are familiar with the poor mobile phone reception areas in the city centre, especially on busy days such as a Saturday match at The Rec. If successful, this pilot will resolve that issue and reduce digital inequalities which impact on business and people accessing services.”  

A report on the One Word 5G Mobile Network Pilot highlights a market failure in the sector, with a lack of investment from private telecoms companies which is exacerbated by UK Government restricting some international vendors.

As a result, the Department for Science Innovation and Technology has issued a series of Open Network Ecosystem (ONE) funding calls to unlock investment in new next generation open mobile networks that multiple vendors can share.

The project has been given a Certificate of Lawfulness for a network of around 15-20 small cell radio units to be installed in key locations on lamp posts around the heart of the city.

During the pilot phase a number of test events would also take place where users place high demand on the network at the same time and location, with additional for testing to occur during events such as sports fixtures and the Bath Christmas Market.

The grant for the One Word pilot has come from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) which put out an Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) funding call in March 2023.

The ONE fund was developed in order to tackle key barriers to the adoption of open mobile networks: with trials in areas of high demand, and to allow for development of new Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) software and hardware solutions to improve performance of these networks.