A UNITED approach is vital for overcoming Scotland’s vast geographical hurdles when it comes to 5G, according to a leading telecoms expert.
CEO of Commsworld, Ricky Nicol, believes that positive collaboration is required to
ensure that Scotland does not fall behind because of the challenges of 5G
rollout.
It is thought that an extra 400,000 phone masts – some 80ft high – would need to be procured and installed in order to bring the 5G network to the UK.
On top of that, a full fibre rollout across the country would be essential in order to
make the network fully effective – as 5G will ultimately require the near limitless capacity that fibre network provides.
Ricky is concerned that the rural nature of Scotland could put the country at a severe disadvantage, but believes that collaborative working is the most pragmatic solution.
He said: “Infrastrusture builders and telecoms firms of all sizes need to get round a table – and be working alongside the Scottish Government to be able to overcome these unique challenges around 5G rollout.
“The Scottish Government’s Reaching 100 (R100) Scheme, which covers the whole of Scotland, is already delivering significantly better broadband infrastructure to rural parts of the country – even to places that didn’t have any connection before.
“But in order to introduce the newest and most effective 5G network, more infrastructure is needed across the whole of Scotland.
“We should value the incredible work of community broadband initiatives, such as Lothian Broadband, which has been instrumental in facilitating fibre in remote
locations.
“5G is still very much in its infancy but by working together, we have a better chance of delivering the best possible connection in Scotland.”
Commsworld, which was established in 1994 and also has offices in Aberdeen and Glasgow, has been able to build on strong support from customers to meet the high demand for fast internet speeds and centralised cloud services.
The new privately owned network contracts with CityFibre and Zayo mean that Commsworld can offer its renowned low-latency network connectivity across the whole of the UK.
It has also become one of a few select companies to be awarded Mitel’s ‘Platinum Partner’ status in recognition of the top standard of service the company provides.
Originally experts in telephony, Commsworld has now diversified and provides entire
communications solutions for SMEs through to multinationals and the public sector.
With offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, the firm now has more than 100 staff delivering business-critical internet, data and voice communications
