NEW 5G buoys will be added to the Lulworth Estate coastline to help emergency services prevent incidents and 'assist in the fight to save lives'.

Dorset Council has announced the signing of a contract with JET Engineering System Solutions Ltd and Excelerare Technology Limited to deliver a network of Surf Condition Monitoring (SCM) buoys to the Lulworth Estate coastline.

The trial is part of the 5G RuralDorset project, a £6.675 million initiative which aims to understand how rural communities could benefit from next generation mobile connectivity.

James Thomas, CEO of JET said: "We're really excited to be involved with the 5G RuralDorset project - not least because this means working with innovative partner organisations such as Dorset Council, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Excelerate and the RNLI.

"It is also one of the first opportunities to demonstrate our market-leading maritime 5G safety and environmental capabilities in a first of a kind trial. The trials will not only significantly prove our hardware capability but will assist in the fight to save lives."

The SCM buoys will measure sea state, including tidal current, temperature and wave height data, and communicate the information via 5G to project partners.

The information will be displayed on the connected digital signage which will be installed at busy locations on the Jurassic Coast and will be available via a published feed, available to the general public, and accessible by the emergency services to support their operations.

Dorset Council deputy leader Peter Wharf said: "This is an exciting stage of the project as we begin to see the technology partnerships, that this project is fostering, really start to flourish and become real. 5G enabled sea state monitoring is an important part of the work we're doing along the Jurassic Coast and will help the emergency services prevent incidents and improve coastal public safety in what is a beautiful but often dangerous environment."

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: "5G-powered buoys could play a critical role in keeping people safe at sea and are yet another example of how government-backed trials led by the country's most talented innovators are carving out novel solutions to age-old problems."