The new project within the Tech Valleys programme, entitled 5G Wales Unlocked, will see a technology cluster formed around a new campus for cyber testing and high-spec accommodation for start-ups.
The technology cluster in the county of Blaenau Gwent will centre around the ResilientWorks campus, a £7m joint project with Thales that will focus on testing cyber security for autonomous vehicles and digitally-connected energy infrastructure.
The cluster, developed on a former steelworks site, will also include research laboratories, a model street complex and 'The Box', where shipping containers will be converted into custom-designed flexible offices for technology start-ups.
Welsh deputy minister for economy and transport Lee Waters said the Wales Unlocked project will use “5G mobile connectivity to expand the base of technology-driven organisations [in the country] and show the world that [Wales is] a destination of choice for exceptional, innovative companies.”
5G Wales Unlocked builds on existing projects within the Tech Valleys programme including an AI-led smart bus and smart parking trial, a LoRaWAN network to enable IoT technology and augmented reality tours of Raglan Castle.
Tech Valleys forms part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s (DCMS) 5G Testbeds & Trials programme and sees the Welsh government collaborate with partners including Cisco, BT, Thales, Utterberry, AppWay and Cardiff University.
Peter Shearman, head of innovation labs UKI at Cisco, said: “5G infrastructure has the potential to help connect business-critical services and devices, and the [5G Wales Unlocked] project aims to help build the commercial case for increased investment to make this a reality for rural communities.”