Mobile network operators tend to stick to the regions that make business sense. There are more commercial opportunities in densely populated cities, and therefore more connectivity.

But for rural and coastal regions, a good connection is also a matter of public safety. The RNLI, police, and coastguard all require resilient and robust network coverage to locate and deliver support when called upon. 

Addressing these issues, the multi-award winning 5G RuralDorset project is bringing the latest generation of connectivity to the Dorset community. Coastal cliff monitoring, footfall counters, and connected buoys, are just some of the technologies being developed to improve public safety. In doing so, the Dorset team are setting a new benchmark for connectivity in rural and coastal communities in the UK.

We're joined in studio by Dave Happy on behalf Dorset Council and James Thomas of JET Engineering Systems Solutions, and joining us remotely from Dorset, Daisy Curtis from the University of Exeter, and from Scotland, Greig Paul from the University of Strathclyde.

Satellite Applications Catapult: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
5G RuralDorset: Website, Twitter, LinkedIn
Dorset Council: Website, Twitter, LinkedIn
JET Engineering System Solutions: Website, LinkedIn
University of Exeter: Website, Twitter, LinkedIn
University of Strathclyde: Website, Twitter, LinkedIn

Produced by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.