O2 UK has announced that it will initiate 5G wireless testing at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire from June 2019. The tests will utilise the cellco’s 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz spectrum and will pave the way for the first phase of O2’s 5G rollout, which will take place in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London later this year. The initial trials at Millbrook will form part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)-funded AutoAir project and will support the testing of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) via 5G.
According to O2, the on-site network at Millbrook consists of 59 cell sites and 89 small cells and is operated by British wireless solution provider Dense Air. Under a twelve-month agreement with the AutoAir project, O2 will integrate the sites and small cells into its public infrastructure.