This document outlines a strategic approach for developing a digital infrastructure to accelerate sustainable growth and skills in the West Midlands region of the UK. It proposes establishing a Digital Board and working groups to coordinate fragmented existing efforts and leverage opportunities like the Local Full Fibre Programme and 5G test beds and trials. The goal is to improve economic outcomes like jobs, productivity, and housing through a coordinated digital strategy that considers both physical and digital infrastructure needs across the region.

1. Strategic approach – A digital
infrastructure for accelerating
sustainable growth and skills
Raj Mack,
Head of Digital Birmingham
Mobile : 0782 353 4981
Twitter : @raj_mack, @digibrum

2. Shared Outcomes – fragmented approaches
TfWM
Smart City Alliance
Silicon Canal
Black Country Smart City
Group
GBSLEP Innovation Group
WM Innovation Group
University/HE/FE leads
Science parks
WMAHSN
Transport catapult
LEP digital leads
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Digital
Group
Digital Birmingham
Strategic Outcomes
1. Economic growth – improve the region’s GVA;
2. Employment and skills - skills that businesses need and the
skills of local people;
3. Accessibility- improve the connectivity of people and
businesses to jobs and markets;
4. Improve the productivity (GVA) of businesses,
5. Improve the quantity of high quality, readily available
development sites that meet housing and business needs;
6. Public service reform -;
7. Housing – provide a greater and broader range of homes; and
8. Environment - improved competitiveness through energy and
resource efficiency,
“Digital is cutting across all industries in the region (as well as being an important sector in its own right), with
technological improvements transforming our industries. With innovation, technological development, and
therefore a digital focus, all being a core part of improving growth and productivity, it is essential that we have
a clear digital strategy and act now to embrace the change that digital is bringing”
Drivers for connectivity

3. Introduction to WMCA – The opportunities and
Challenges
Functional Geography
3 LEPs and 7 Local Councils
- GBSLEP
- Black Country
- Coventry and Warwickshire
Population
- 4 million
GVA
- £80billion
Targets to 2030
- Net increase in jobs – 50500
- Increase GVA - £75billion
- Increase employment rate to 80%

4. Strategic Governance for digital developments across the
WMCA
• Membership and terms of reference:
• Immediate actions:
i. Develop co-sponsored accelerator programmes
to drive digital take-up and start-up focus
ii. Explore potential for use of unused public sector
offices as co-working spaces
iii. Develop approaches to improving digital skills in
the region
iv. Coordinate response to near-term infrastructure
funding opportunities
Digital Board
Digital working groups, focused on:
Entrepreneurs and
SMEs
TfWM
Local Authority
digital leads
Comprising representation across:
Tech companies
Universities/FE/HE
institutions
LEP digital leads
Professional
advisers
Trade body/
industry reps
Healthcare bodies –
e.g. local NHS
Digital infra groups National experts
WMCA Board
Linkage with
other WMCA
bodies as
required – e.g.
Devo Strategy
Group, Funding
for Growth,
Innovation
groups, etc.
Digital skills
Digital
infrastructure
Business
support
Linkage with
Growth
Company, to
develop
marketing buzz
Support from
Technical
Ambassadors

5. Developing a longer term Framework for a WMCA
Connectivity Strategy and Implementation Roadmap –
Call to Action
• Build on the connectivity and digital plans of the LEPS and local authorities
• Identify common themes that we can build on collectively, whilst
recognising local needs and priorities
• Map out our physical and digital assets that can accelerate digital
investment into the region e.g ducts , dark fibre, street furniture and other
public sector assets
• Further develop the open and big data agenda to spur on entrepreneurial
innovation and SMEs growth
• Develop hybrid digital infrastructures to accelerate the Internet of
Everything capabilities – linking enabling physical infrastructures with
digital components, such rail, utilities
• Further develop the concept of a digital master planning approach to
ensure all large-scale areas of regeneration can be digitally future proofed
and deliver sustainable and resilient growth

6. Two Immediate Opportunities
1. Local Full Fibre Programme
• Lessons learned - collaborative approach across 5 LEPs
- 3rd highest number of vouchers allocated
- significant demand unmet
• Expressions of Interest - Individual EOIs
- a shared statement across all the EOIs –
WM PSN approach
- EOIs totally in excess of £35 million
- Birmingham alone in excess of 600 public
buildings excluding our CCTV infrastructure
- Coventry is a pilot city for gigabit vouchers

7. Immediate Opportunities
2. 5G test bed and trials
• The main aim of the 5G test bed is to ensure WM businesses become
successful players in the emerging 5G market and develop new services and
business models that will ultimately drive productivity and economic growth
• Our initial consortium brings together the WMCA public sector, the WM
Combined Universities, Industrial partners and SMEs
• We will aim is to work with operators and manufacturers and SMEs to test
5G use cases at scale across a number of sectors

8. 5G Test beds and trials – Call to Action
• To support the grant application, we are seeking a small number of industry partners that are interested in developing and testing
5G applications and wish to make use of the test bed, supported by WM universities R&D capacity covering
• Infrastructure build – access to full fibre
• Network deployment and service delivery layers – transmission technologies, small cells, network connectivity, security
• Innovative use cases - addressing significant challenges and opportunities for the region
• Our key areas of focus are :
• All areas of transport, intelligent transport systems, autonomous vehicles
• Hard and soft infrastructure and infrastructure systems including but not limited to construction and development, utilities,
ICT infrastructure
• An approach that enables opportunities for deployment at scale and one that leverages further technology developments that can
exploit 5G capabilities

9. Contacts for further information
• West Midlands Combined Authority public sector – Raj Mack or Sarah Windrum
email : Raj.s.mack@birmingham.gov.uk
• West Midlands Combined Universities Heike Schuster – James
email : Heike.schuster-James@BCU.ac.uk