Today is a big day for improved mobile connectivity in rural Dorset. We’re really excited to announce that our recent 5G RuralDorset consortium’s bid to the Government’s Rural Connected Communities Competition has been successful. We’d especially like to thank all the organisations who supported our bid including the RNLI, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and… Read more Dorset’s £4.3 million to boost rural mobile connectivity
What is 5G? The fifth generation of cellular wireless connectivity. Unlike 3G, 4G, etc, the term 5G doesn’t refer to a single thing but to a combination of technologies – wireless communications, hardware and software – that together offer high quality network services. Why is 5G interesting? 5G brings three new aspects to the table:… Read more 5G RuralDorset – frequently asked questions
In December Dorset Council took delivery of an AV1 Avatar, we have leased him from the manufacturer No Isolation for a period of three months. During this time, we are planning to use him to promote the opportunity he offers for children who are physically unable to attend school to do so virtually via the… Read more Robots to help children attend school
Why can’t children resist toilet humour? When we asked a group of kids at Prince of Wales School what they thought the future would look like, why did one suggest there would be toilet robots to hand out loo paper and candy? Could a group of sensible, serious and stereotypically boring adults – council staff… Read more Our new Digital Dorset Podcast
Yesterday marked the culmination of eight fairly intense weeks as we submitted our bid to the Rural Connected Communities competition. Here’s a summary of the proposal that our consortium of local, national and multi-national partners, which we have called 5G RuralDorset, has put forward to Government. Summary We will address the cost and design challenges… Read more Rural Dorset seeks funds for 5G testbeds
We are really excited to be part of the first Social Care Digital Innovation Accelerator project, working in collaboration to develop a digital solution that responds to the new Liberty Protection Safeguards legislation. What do we mean by Liberty Protection Safeguards? The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, come under the Mental Capacity Act. They currently apply… Read more Social Care Digital Innovation Accelerator
Not so good with gadgets? Does the ‘D’ word and your smartphone or computer hinder your life rather than help it… You aren’t alone. In Dorset at least eight per cent of the population are not online at all and many more struggle with digital technology daily. Meet Mandy Greenwood from Shaftesbury who went from… Read more Shaftesbury’s gadget gurus help Mandy get digitally savvy
The last five weeks has been something of a whirlwind as we prepare our bid to the Government’s Rural Connected Communities competition. We are working hard to bring together a group of local, national and multi-national partners to show there are better and cheaper ways to offer the mobile connectivity that rural communities across the… Read more Poor connectivity costing our county dear
We have started our first large digital piece of work as Dorset Council looking at the Planning Service. Our immediate challenge is how we converge the six legacy district and county council planning services, who have different processes and systems. We want to use the opportunity to design a future service that meets the needs… Read more Transforming Planning Services
Today I was in the fantastic city of Leeds. I’m a big fan of Yorkshire (dangerous ground for someone born in Lancashire) but it was my first time in the city. The place feels very at ease with itself – a fantastic example of how to celebrate the past while embracing cultural diversity. I was… Read more Ey up! There could be an opportunity here . . .
