Hatfield Business Park has a mix of private businesses, public sector organisations and residential properties, making it an ideal multi-use environment in which to develop innovations to serve local communities.

Digital twin, driverless cars, drones, robots, smart infrastructure and smart services will be used to support the development of pioneering solutions to everyday issues.

Why?

The Lab will ‘learn by doing’ by delivering experimental services to residents, local employees and students, from driverless delivery of goods to mobility services such as shared bikes and e-scooters. People will also have exciting opportunities to co-create these innovative services and solutions through a dedicated digital engagement platform.

Impact

Working with its EE mobile arm, BT is providing the 5G network for the Lab which will power the next generation of connectivity needed to support the sustainable, smart services at the heart of the project.

The company is now working to provide the best network foundations to support the smart devices being deployed in the Lab, which enable real-time decision making in data-driven environments.

BT’s 5G network expertise will also further support the testing of future network capabilities such as Edge computing, where data is stored and processed rapidly on site to improve response times, as well as working with customers across the business park to identify areas where 5G-led technologies can bring benefits to their organisation and the wider region.

Funding

Hertfordshire LEP has invested £748k to transform Hatfield Business Park into a model ‘smart place’ with the introduction of an open and experimental digital ecosystem.