DCMS Open Networks R&D Fund: consultation on 2023-25 priorities
2pm – 5pm24 January 2023
techUK, 10 St Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD
As part of the £250m UK Open Networks R&D Fund ongoing mission to support a vibrant, innovative, dynamic and open global telecoms market, DCMS is undertaking a series of engagements to better understand the landscape and test our thinking for the year ahead.
DCMS is currently developing the next phase of Open Network R&D Fund competitions to build on this work, and to further reinforce the UK as a global centre of excellence in open telecoms networks. Areas currently under consideration for the next phase of interventions include:
Demonstration of product/solution performance in high-density demand (HDD) or live environments,
Development of high-performance hardware and subcomponents
Open RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), including x/rApp development.
Cross-industry skills and capability needs
The event
This in-person preview event, hosted by techUK, is designed to provide telecoms industry stakeholders with an early-stage opportunity to:
get insight on DCMS priorities and understanding of the areas of challenge in the UK Telecoms ecosystem
provide direct expert feedback and challenge to policy leads on related opportunities, challenges, and areas of consideration;
begin to identify potential areas of cross-sector collaboration, through networking opportunities.
Spaces for this in-person event will be strictly limited, so we could encourage registrations by Wednesday 11 January 2023. In the event of over-subscription we may need to limit numbers of attendees per company, or to allocate workshop spaces to ensure a fair balance of participant types.
The workshop event will last for approximately two hours, following which there will be additional time (16:00-17:00) for networking with colleagues and DCMS staff.
Sophie James
Head of Telecoms and Spectrum Policy, techUK
Sophie James
Head of Telecoms and Spectrum Policy, techUK
Sophie James is Head of Programme for Communications Infrastructure and Services at techUK, and oversees the UK Spectrum Policy Forum.
Sophie was promoted to Head having been Programme Manager for Communications Infrastructure and Services, leading techUK's telecoms activities, engagement and policy development. Previously, Sophie was Programme Assistant across a variety of areas including the Broadband Stakeholder Group, Central Government, Financial Services and Communications Infrastructure programmes.
Prior to joining techUK, Sophie completed a masters in Film Studies at University College London; her dissertation examined US telecoms policy relating to net neutrality and content distribution.
Mia joined techUK in September 2023 as the Programme Manager for telecoms and net zero.
Sitting across two teams, Mia works to ensure that policy and regulatory conditions promote investment and innovation in the telecoms sector. And, that policy enables technology and digital solutions to deliver net zero ambitions.
Prior to joining techUK, Mia worked as a Senior Policy Adviser at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) leading on manufacturing and industrial decarbonisation policy.
Mia holds an MSc in International Development from the University of Manchester and a BA(Hons) in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
Outside of work, Mia enjoys travelling, running, and cooking.
Tales has a background in law and economics, with previous experience in the regulation of new technologies and infrastructure.
In the UK and Europe, he offered consultancy on intellectual property rights of cellular and IoT technologies and on the regulatory procedures at the ITU as a Global Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI).
Tales has an LL.M in Law and Business by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) and an MSc in Regulation at the London School of Economics, with a specialization in Government and Law.
Matthew joined techUK in August 2023 as a Programme Assistant, supporting the Telecoms and Central Government markets, as well as the Digital Connectivity and Spectrum Policy Fora.
Before joining techUK, Matthew worked in marketing, data, and events across a number of sectors, including education and consumer goods. He studied German and Dutch at University College London and the Universiteit van Amsterdam.
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