As Birmingham Tech Week came to a close on Friday (October 14), tech minister Damian Collins revealed that a new UK Telecommunications Lab will be established in nearby Solihull.
Collins said that the new facility would create dozens of high-skilled jobs in the West Midlands, as staff will be needed to work at the new research centre that will bring together telecom operators, suppliers and academics to research and test innovative new ways of boosting the security, resilience and performance of the UK’s mobile networks.
Moreover, the Lab is intended to close local and national digital skills gaps by creating new jobs in telecommunications and cybersecurity.
New research commissioned by the government which was unveiled this week as part of the Birmingham Tech Festival also suggested that there has been a significant increase in tech start-ups and scale-ups in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
According to analysis by Adzuna on behalf of the UK Digital Economy Council, tech jobs in Birmingham in the seven months to July 2022 rose by 21.3 per cent, while such roles in the wider West Midlands region increased by 31 per cent in the same period. More than 144,000 people in total are currently employed in tech start-ups and scale-ups across the West Midlands.
New research from Dealroom shows that this thriving local workforce has pushed up the collective value of the region’s technology businesses, going from £11.5 billion last year to £15.3 billion now.
Since 2020, tech companies in the West Midlands have raised in excess of £850 million in venture capital investment, which has helped make the region one of the UK’s biggest digital hotbeds.
Technology minister, Damian Collins, said at the Birmingham Tech Festival: “After this summer’s stunning Commonwealth Games it is great to feel the buzz in the city yet again in Birmingham Tech Week.
“Fast-growing firms are cementing Birmingham’s status as a tech powerhouse - boosting jobs and spreading economic growth right across the West Midlands.
“As a result, there is no better home for the new UK Telecoms Lab, which will turn the region into a centre for expertise and innovation in the security of next-generation mobile networks.”
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport [DCMS] has said that as the demand increases on the UK’s telecoms infrastructure and the country looks toward the next generation of broadband, having a new national telecoms research facility in one location will enable telecommunications business to test their equipment in a realistic environment.
The Lab is also intended to play a key role in developing and rolling out better and faster mobile technology at a more rapid pace, as well as identify vulnerabilities and security risks to better protect equipment, software and infrastructure against cyber-attacks.
Further details around the facility, which is to be situated in Solihull, will be set out in the near future, DCMS said.
West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, commented: “Tech is one of the most exciting and fastest growing sectors in our region. This fantastic announcement that Solihull will be the home of the new UK Telecoms Lab yet again underlines the strength of this important sector for us here in the West Midlands. The Lab will bring a wide range of stakeholders together to drive innovation and create high quality new jobs for local people.
“As we mark Birmingham Tech Week, it’s a great time to remember that we are at the cutting edge and - with our tech sector already valued at over £15 billion - we have an exciting future ahead of us.”
