UK Telecoms Lab
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UK Telecoms Lab’s (UKTL) telecommunications security panel at Birmingham Tech Week, October 2024 

UKTL hosted an insightful panel, as part of the Cyberverse afternoon on Women in Tech Day, with five leading experts including UKTL’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Bridgette Bigmore. TechWM and the University of Warwick provided the perfect platform to discuss the importance of telecoms security, as well as the opportunities and future challenges facing businesses in the UK. 

The panel showcased the West Midlands’ vast capabilities, and the need to create diverse teams to tackle the security issues the telecoms community faces. Bridgette’s key messages focused on emerging tech staying ahead and the industry convergence of software, telecoms and security to achieve truly secure communications.  

The panel was chaired by UKTL’s Programme Director, Meredith McMurray of the National Physical Laboratory and joining us at the discussion were panellists: Patricia Dooley (Ericsson), Joe Williams (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), Robert Franks (WM5G) and Ryan Protheroe (Midlands Cyber). 

Bridgette Bigmore also represented UKTL at Birmingham Tech Week’s VIP dinner and tech awards alongside one of our partners, the West Midlands Growth Company. Throughout the week, UKTL took part in a variety of events, including a presentation by Andrew Smith, Strategic Business Development Manager, NPL at the official launch of the West Midlands Cyber Working Group, as well as participation in a panel discussion, chaired by Cyber Chain Alliance, focused on balancing technology in the workplace with childcare needs.   

UKTL plays a big role in securing telecommunications by introducing and testing new technology in advance of it hitting UK networks and offering guidance to industry. 

Contact us for more information about the UK Telecoms Lab. 

UKTL attended CyberUK, NCSC’s global cyber conference, which took place at the Birmingham ICC in May 2024. The UKTL team met a wide range of representatives from industry, government, and academia at the UKTL stand within the government projects area.

An important part of UKTL’s activity was Cyberverse, the regional fringe event, where the region's cybersecurity ecosystem converged, bringing together West Midlands’ stakeholders for a range of cyber-related talks and activities. Cyberverse was hosted by University of Birmingham at The Exchange, just across the road from the CyberUK main event.

UKTL led a panel entitled ‘The importance of Telecoms Security in an increasingly Connected World.’ The panel was chaired by Meredith McMurray, UKTL’s Programme Manager, and we were delighted to have the following panellists: Yiannis Maos, MBE, CEO, TechWM, David Harcourt, Chief Security Advisor, BT, Robert Franks, MD, WM5G and Joe Williams, Senior Policy Advisor at The Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

NPL’s CEO Dr Pete Thompson represented UKTL at the VIP dinner as part of the West Midlands delegation, where he enjoyed meeting tech leaders from a range of organisations.

UKTL attended Birmingham Tech Week, taking part in West Midlands Growth Company’s ‘Global West Midlands: The Tech That Makes Tomorrow Work’ event. Emma Haynes, Partnerships Director at NPL, gave a keynote speech to introduce the work of UKTL and our vision for the future. We were delighted to meet the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, and to talk about the future of telecoms and to champion cybersecurity.

Emma Haynes (Partnerships Director) with Cllr. Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, at Birmingham Tech Week 2023.

UKTL welcomed Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and Martin Ward, the Tech Commissioner for the West Midlands to discuss working together on developing cyber and telecoms skills and opportunities and playing our part in growing the world-leading West Midlands cyber and tech ecosystem. We are excited to be part of this vibrant community and proud of the fantastic team of experts who have joined UKTL, our state-of-the-art facility. We look forward to working with Andy Street and Martin Ward and helping to make the region and the nation a safer, more prosperous place.

From left to right: Catherine Quinn (Non-Exec Director, NPL) , Andy Blackmore (MD, UKTL), Martin Ward (Tech Commissioner for the West Midlands), Andy Street (The Mayor of the West Midlands), Pete Thompson (CEO, NPL) and Vicki Saward (Deputy CEO, NPL).