Our latest report with Vodafone UK looks into the benefits of 5G technology for the UK’s manufacturing sector.

Powering Up Manufacturing, Levelling Up Britain considers the potential for digital technology, and in particular new applications of 5G delivered via mobile private networks (MPNs) and Internet of Things (IoT) technology, to improve the productivity of UK manufacturing.

It describes some of those new applications, which are already being deployed in factories around the world and includes case studies where Vodafone is working with industrial partners to transform their operations with 5G. And it calculates the boost to UK national and regional productivity if take-up of 5G in the UK manufacturing sector reaches the level by 2030 that evidence from the US suggests is possible

The new analysis finds that the increase in manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA) across the UK would be £3.6 billion per year in 2025 and £6.3 billion per year in 2030, and that while all regions and nations would benefit from this in absolute terms, the highest relative GVA impact would be felt in Wales, the West Midlands, East Midlands, North West and North East.

The report calls on the Government to set an ambitious target to become a global leader in the use of 5G technology in manufacturing over the next decade. It recommends support for manufacturers’ investment in 5G mobile private networks, and the creation of 5G test and innovation centres in the regions and nations that stand to benefit most from increased take-up of 5G in manufacturing.

Read the full report here.