A stretch of the UK’s famous Jurassic Coast has become one of the first locations in the world to receive standalone 5G coverage at 700 MHz.

The 5G RuralDorset project has installed a few base stations at various points along a 30-mile stretch of coastline, beginning in Kimmeridge in the east, and ending in Portland Bill in the west. Together, these provide 5G coverage to clifftops, bays and beaches, as well as out at sea.

RuralDorset is an £8 million 5G R&D scheme led by Dorset Council and partly funded by DCMS, which includes it under its 5G testbeds and trials programme. Its partner members include Vodafone, wireless connectivity solutions provider Excelerate, and the Satellite Applications Catapult – a research and technology company.

“The first real world use of this 700-MHz 5G network is a major milestone for the project as well as for the wider connectivity community,” declared Kieran Arnold, director of ubiquitous connectivity at the Satellite Applications Catapult. “It allows us to provide much needed communications across hard to serve regions of the UK and to demonstrate some of the many services that are now a possibility, from connecting emergency responders to improving safety features across beaches and coasts.”

Indeed, RuralDorset will use the new high-speed network to trial three use cases. First up is, digital signage, which will see RuralDorset deploy connected signs that can be updated with useful information to help people enjoy their day out and stay safe. Messages include tide times and water conditions, and cliff erosion, as well as information about parking, the locations of lifeguard stations and defibrillators.

The second use case is footfall triggers, which will detect high numbers of visitors at popular locations and alert local authorities and emergency services as necessary. They can then use this information as a cue to implement crowd control measures if needed.

Finally, RuralDorset also plans to trial 5G-enabled buoys out at sea that will measure sea conditions, such as tide height, wave height and frequency, and current strength and direction. This data will form the basis of real-time surf reports, giving people the information they need to make sure they stay safe while at the beach.

Of course, the big challenge with projects like this is how the lessons learned by the likes of 5G RuralDorset can be collated and distilled into a blueprint that can be shared easily with a wider audience, enabling them to use that information to accelerate their own initiatives. With nearly 8,000 miles of coastline in the UK, there is a real risk of duplicated effort.