Borderlands 5GIR blog
- sarahbruce4
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
How Borderlands 5GIR is laying the foundations for scalable, sustainable regional transformation
When the Borderlands 5G Innovation Region set out to deploy advanced wireless infrastructure to some of the UK’s most remote and beautiful tourist destinations, the goal was clear: to create a platform for long-term growth. A platform that improves services for residents, strengthens the rural tourism economy, and delivers better connectivity where it’s needed most.
That platform is already operational and will soon be available for local authorities, community partners, and businesses to connect. Read more about it in the Programme's latest blog post.
What the Network Is Powering
The Borderlands 5G network is supporting a growing set of live use cases that show how advanced wireless connectivity can deliver real-world impact in rural and tourism settings.
At Windermere, the network connects contactless ticket machines and in future could provide real-time vessel location data to support ferry operations, helping improve service reliability and passenger experience. Across Kielder, Stranraer and the Tweed Valley, sensors and analytics track visitor numbers, car park usage and environmental data to provide new insights into how sites are used, and when interventions might be needed. These services improve decision-making, enable better visitor experiences, and reduce operational costs.
Taken together the use cases also demonstrate how stacked services on shared infrastructure can reduce per-use-case cost and improve commercial sustainability.
A Tendered, Operational Network
Borderlands 5GIR was created to prove the commercial business case for 5G and advanced wireless connectivity in rural tourism areas, and to demonstrate a delivery model that works. It’s a platform designed for growth.
With a competitively procured, extensible contract in place, new venues and use cases can be added without triggering a new procurement process. That means local authorities and partners can move quickly to meet local needs, with less friction, lower cost, and faster delivery.
Designed for Growth
The 5G network and shared data platform were built to accommodate future growth in users, venues, and use cases. We are now demonstrating how that growth is happening:
In Cumbria, Connecting Cumbria gainshare funding is being used to develop a new venue and a second wave of use cases at one or more new sites and Windermere. This shows that regional partners see value and are backing further delivery.
In Stranraer, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) has invested £200,000 to expand the network to support the Solway Coast and Marine Project, showing strong confidence in the platform’s potential.
We’re also exploring integration with sensor networks across the region and beyond, so that the Borderlands investment can support a wider range of services at regional and even national scale.
Although the initial expansion is being led by Connecting Cumbria with additional investment from SOSE, the platform is open to any organisation ready to use 5G and other advanced wireless solutions to address challenges in their area.
A Platform for Everyone
Local authorities, public bodies and place-based partnerships can take full advantage of the infrastructure and architecture we’ve created:
The contract model is widely extensible to more use cases and venues in the Borderlands region.
The modular network architecture is designed for interoperability.
The shared data platform is live, handling real-time sensor data and analytics from multiple sites, and ready to bring in more.
Our growing library of use cases can be replicated or adapted.
Public sector bodies in other regions could replicate what we have done.
In short: there’s no need to start from scratch. You can connect to an operational platform that’s delivering impact today.
The Momentum Is Real
We’ve moved from design to deployment. From theory to implementation. From “what if” to “what next.”
Borderlands 5GIR is working for venues, communities and councils. If you are a local leader, business, tourism organisation or public service provider looking to harness the power of digital infrastructure, contact us at info@borderlandsgrowth.com.
This is your opportunity to plug into a platform that’s already making a difference.
Jonathan Harris, Programme Director, Connecting Cumbria
Previous blogs in this series:
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