Private 5G adoption stages and the industrial strategy workshop

Join Digital Catapult for an in-person focus group examining the key challenges and enablers for the widespread adoption of standalone private 5G in the UK. The session will bring together industry leaders, vendors, systems integrators, enterprise buyers and connectivity suppliers to validate current research findings, share practical experience and identify interventions that could accelerate adoption across priority sectors.

Your contribution to this session will help an evidence-based understanding of the barriers affecting private 5G adoption, including total cost of ownership, skills, integration, cybersecurity, spectrum and governance. Insights from the discussion will inform future recommendations, programme design and ecosystem support.

Participants will take part in a facilitated discussion, structured around the adoption journey from feasibility assessment through to operational scaling and ecosystem integration. The session will include barrier mapping, root-cause discussion, intervention design and a closing prioritisation exercise.

This session is intended for organisations with experience evaluating, deploying, supplying or integrating private 5G and related industrial connectivity solutions, particularly across manufacturing, energy, transport and logistics and wider industrial strategy sectors.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• • Explore common opportunities, barriers and approaches with sector stakeholders. 
  • Share real-world experiences and lessons learned from private 5G adoption.
  • Network with industry peers and exchange perspectives.
  • Contribute to shaping future market interventions and support mechanisms.
  • Gain insight into the emerging adoption challenges facing standalone private 5G in the UK.

10:00 – Registration

10:30 – Welcome and introductions

An introduction to the workshop, including the objectives for the day, the current context for standalone private 5G adoption in the UK, and what participants can expect from the discussions ahead

10:40 – Private 5G: Current State in the UK

An overview of the standalone private 5G landscape in the UK, mapping the adoption journey from feasibility assessment through to ecosystem integration and setting the scene for the workshop discussions.

11:00 – Facilitated discussion: Barriers to adoption

Through a structured discussion, participants will identify barriers experienced across each stage of the private 5G adoption journey, including:

• Feasibility Assessment
• Proof of Concept
• Pilot Deployment
• Production Commissioning
• Operational Scaling
• Value Optimisation
• Ecosystem Integration

12:30 – Networking lunch

13:30 – Root-cause discussion

Building on the barriers identified during the morning session, participants will explore the underlying causes of adoption challenges, distinguishing symptoms from structural and systemic barriers.

14:00 – Intervention design workshop

A collaborative session focused on identifying potential interventions, support mechanisms and practical actions that could help overcome the highest-priority barriers facing organisations adopting standalone private 5G.

14:30 – Prioritisation exercise

Participants will review and prioritise the barriers and proposed interventions, assessing them based on their impact, feasibility and potential benefit to the wider ecosystem.

15:00 – Conclusions and next steps

A summary of the key findings from the day, including priority areas for action, remaining gaps and opportunities for future collaboration.

15:30 – Networking

16:00 – Close

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