Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton have been announced as hubs for the UK Government's pilot 5G Cities programme, after winning a national competition.
The West Midlands region will be awarded up to £75m in public money, which will be match funded by industry.
But what benefits does this scheme bring?
Hospital outpatient appointments and emergency consultations carried out remotely by video link
Bringing more convenience for patients, this also means they can play back their appointment at a later date or share it securely with a family member or carer to help inform their care.
Connected Ambulances
Paramedic crews at an incident
could access specialist assessments and consultations while at the scene,
such as video conferencing with
consultants or other clinical specialists.
Live streaming CCTV footage from public transport buses
Enabling immediate action against anti-social behaviour through cameras using artificial intelligence to identify incidents.
Autonomous vehicles
Transforming the way we travel, this technology will help prevent major accidents, improving traffic flow and reducing energy consumption. The West Midlands Combined Authority will partner with Jaguar Land Rover to facilitate real world testing of driverless cars.
Find our more about today's announcement on GOV.UK, paving the way for the future rollout of 5G across the UK.
Find our more about the Government's Industrial Strategy.
