How the U.S. and U.K. Can Work Together to Advance Global Telco Innovation

There is no doubt that telecoms and connectivity are a vital part of modern civilization. And every country wants to be a leader in the rollout of new innovative technologies that form society’s digital backbone.

Yet, despite telecoms being an increasingly complex global industry that overlaps with many adjacent sectors, innovation has historically been viewed as a national rather than international priority. Even today, we are missing a key opportunity for joined-up thinking and collaboration between international players that has the potential to ultimately drive sector growth and benefit all nations involved.

There is a clear call to action for nations and international telco players - such as the United Kingdom and the United States - to make collective gains by searching out global partners to collaborate with on challenges in their markets. As technology continues to advance and accelerate, it's vital for companies to make sure they are working with suitable international partners to help them remain competitive across a crowded market.

Leveraging the U.K.’s strengths in academia

Leveraging the results driven by global innovation can help scale the telecoms sector both on an international level and across home markets. For the U.S., one route to collaboration is utilizing the U.K.'s thriving academic scene - comprising 90 world-class universities, with Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, and UCL featuring among the global top ten.

The U.K.'s academic research has also been ranked best in the G7 every year since 2007, pointing towards its position as the home for world-leading early-stage R&D initiatives - ripe for inward investment.

In fact, there are already strong examples of U.K. institutions supporting the telecoms sector. In early 2018, the University of Surrey, King’s College London, and the University of Bristol were all part of the 5GUK Test Network, which helped shape the early stages of the U.K.’s 5G rollout.  

The University of York, home to the interdisciplinary Centre for High Altitude Platform Applications, is currently looking to pioneer new technologies for wireless communications in non-terrestrial networking. 

In addition to this, a £300m investment for the U.K.'s A.I. Research Resource (AIRR) is putting the U.K.’s academic institutions front and center in the next generation of artificial intelligence research. When fully operational, new supercomputers being built at the University of Bristol and Cambridge University will represent the first and second most powerful machines in the country. Researchers will benefit from a thirty-fold increase in the U.K.'s A.I. supercomputing capacity.

This strong combination of academia, talent, and existing interest makes the U.K. a great place for U.S. companies to conduct their research and develop propositions for new telecom projects. Creating closer R&D partnerships has the potential for joint-funded competitions and projects where U.K. and U.S. researchers work together towards a common goal, helping push innovation forward collaboratively.

Opening doors to a perfect partnership

Navigating the nuances and complexities of a new market - from understanding regulatory compliance to knowing who to engage with - can seem daunting and slow down progress.

This is where the U.K. Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN) comes into play. Acting as a door opener for the U.S. and other international players, UKTIN can help facilitate introductions with academia, exciting new start-ups, and established players within the U.K. telecoms sector. 

Offering an impartial, accessible, and inclusive forum for the industry, it brings a range of bodies and organizations into one network, providing a platform for global collaboration and innovation.

The UKTIN International Advisory Support Service, for example, includes guidance for international companies on compliance and standards requirements, facilitating access to testbeds, and signposting to relevant organizations, universities, and individuals.

This, alongside shared synergies in the form of customer challenges and market maturity, makes the U.K. an ideal collaborative companion. The network can provide the U.S. with an opportunity to embrace an established industry ecosystem while speeding up innovation back at home.