Good reception to Scotland 5G Centre cutting ribbon on new Innovation Hub in Ayrshire

The Scotland 5G Centre has officially unveiled its latest 5G Innovation Hub in Kilmarnock, aiming to both help local organisations hitch their wagon to the benefits of digital transformation and catalyse the Ayrshire economy.

The S5GConnect Innovation Hub at Halo Kilmarnock, in the Halo Enterprise and Innovation Centre driven by regeneration-focused entrepreneur Marie Macklin, has been designed to give local companies free access to the hub’s dedicated 5G Mobile Private Network to explore and adopt new digitally enabled opportunities, generating benefits such as “increased productivity, decreased downtimes, enhanced customer experience, unparalleled digital security and reductions in cost and carbon footprint”.

Launch attendees heard how the centre, through its National Suite of Innovation Hubs across Scotland, is working with the private and public sectors to enable step-changes in business through the application of 5G. The University of Glasgow, one of the centre’s founding partners, highlighted how organisations can remotely monitor room capacity and desk occupancy, helping reduce their energy costs.

Sharon Neely, business-engagement manager for S5GConnect Halo Kilmarnock, praised the launch of the facility, adding that it “provides knowledge, expertise and space for businesses to prototype, design and trial goods and services over a private 5G network”.

'We look forward to supporting local companies and local public sector bodies, to help them to unlock the benefits of 5G-enabled technology,' says Sharon Neely of the S5GConnect Halo Kilmarnock. Picture: Jim Walker/Write Image.

Dr Macklin, founder and executive chair of The Halo Urban Regeneration Company, said: “It’s an incredibly exciting time at the Halo, and the opening of the S5GConnect Halo Kilmarnock hub highlights our commitment to enhancing both the local and national approach to digital and cyber.

“The Halo is setting the standard for low-carbon energy sites across the UK, offering a state-of-the-art environment for entrepreneurs specialising in green growth by building a sustainable community powered by renewable energy.”