Council leaders have agreed to invest £2 million of funds to continue to develop advanced wireless technology across Cumbria.
The Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council Joint Executive Committee agreed to invest the cash from the Connecting Cumbria gainshare funds.
The investment, funded through the contracts originally set up between Cumbria County Council and BT Plc is available to enhance digital connectivity in Cumbria and will support the expansion of the Borderlands 5G Innovation Region programme, increasing the sustainability and benefits of the current investment.
The Borderlands 5G Innovation Region programme, led by Cumberland Council and managed by Connecting Cumbria, is a collaboration between the counties along the English and Scottish border.
The programme aims to demonstrate the commercial opportunities of advanced wireless technology in a rural tourism setting.
The councils said the additional £2m investment will complement the ongoing works of the Borderlands 5G Innovation Region programme, with the goal of reinforcing Cumbria’s position as a hub for rural digital innovation and connectivity.
As part of efforts to deliver the Cumbria-wide Digital Infrastructure Strategy with the goal of ensuring that no one and no place is left behind in terms of digital connectivity, Connecting Cumbria is leading on the Digital Borderlands 5G Innovation Region programme.
The initiative, in partnership with delivery partner AWTG, will focus on five initial venues at Destination Tweed, Kielder Castle and Forest, Stranraer Marina, The Sill at Hadrian’s Wall and the Windermere Ferry.
At the Windermere venue, the team expects to explore new ways of delivering connectivity to the local community, businesses and visitors around the Ferry Nab area, potentially including parts of Bowness.
The work at Windermere is set to pave the way for further sites across the Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness areas, the councils said.
