We reported back in February that Camberley (a town in Surrey) was planning to launch the UK’s first 5G shopping centre, and now it’s a little bit closer to doing that, as it has started looking for businesses that are interested in being a part of it.
The shopping centre is called The Square, and it’s a 480,000 square foot building that – once its 5G network, using full private 5G infrastructure is switched on – will not only be the first of its kind in the UK, but also just the third full private 5G infrastructure shopping centre anywhere in the world.
This is an example of 5G going beyond smartphones, because the project aims to see businesses deploy digital signage, computer vision, dynamic pricing, robotics, logistics, intelligent personalised advertising, immersive customer experiences, and more, all powered by 5G.
So in other words this could be the first step towards a reinvention of bricks and mortar shopping – and a much needed one given the dominance of internet shopping and the current pandemic, both of which have harmed high street retailers.
Whether this will be enough to reinvigorate them remains to be seen, but there’s certainly some exciting potential here.
Register your interest now
Interested businesses can register their interest with Business in Surrey Heath, and those that take part will have access to Surrey University’s 5G labs as well as Verizon's 5G Labs, to assist with the 5G ecosystem, 5G technology, and commercial business case for their business.
Professor Rahim Tafazolli, Founder of the 5G Innovation Centre, said: “Providing the cutting-edge technology for the UK’s first fully 5G-enabled shopping centre, gives Camberley’s retailers a head-start in the race to transform retail for the future.”
