Attendees from across the construction sector, including architects, builders, estate agencies, civil and structural engineers, and interior designers, gathered to explore how 5G and immersive solutions can transform processes in the region.

The construction industry in the North East is a major player with 13,000 businesses, mostly SMEs. With significant projects like the A1 road upgrade and Teesside Freeport driving growth, the sector is ripe for technological advancements. 5G can play a huge role here, for example, by cutting travel costs by 15% through real-time site monitoring, improving safety with wearable sensors, and reducing accidents by 25%

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Technical Demos

Chris Bridgeman, Vodafone’s Mobile Private Network & 5G Business Development Manager, explained how 5G’s ultra-low latency and network slicing can accelerate the adoption of other technologies. He shared the company's use cases, like autonomous train tracks and a project on England's East coast involving a model for 40 cranes. Many of their construction clients are using private networks as wireless backhaul for contractors' cabins across sites, where delivering fibre connections can be a challenge.

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The North East Immersive Sector

During the workshop, we were proud to showcase a number of North East Immersive organisations.

Chris Dutton, Lead Technical Specialist at Anima VR, showcased an exciting project in development in collaboration with Sotech, a Durham-based construction company. The VR showroom allows clients to explore Sotech’s offerings in a fully immersive way, starting with features like changing the format and colour of the panels.

Luminous XR showcased their Multiplayer Hazard Training demo. Using multiple Meta Quest 3 headsets and a computer, they created an interactive class experience where an instructor and students could train together in real time to spot hazards at the construction site.

We also had Aircards products on a table offering an AR experience – by scanning QR codes on their flyers, attendees could bring AR diggers to life right in their browsers, demonstrating how easily companies can add immersive elements to their promotional materials.

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Panel Takeaways

Building on insights from our Manufacturing workshop in July, we realised the need to bring together different perspectives across the sector for more meaningful discussions – spotting emerging trends and inspiring our audience to confidently share their own ideas. So, this time we invited Professor Richard Laing from Northumbria University’s Urban Collaboration to provide an academic prospective. He was joined by Chris Bridgeman and Chris Dutton on a panel hosted by Nicole Stewart Rushworth, Senior Producer at Digital Catapult. 

5G and immersive tech can improve safety, site monitoring, and communication. While the tech is becoming more affordable, we're still about 3-5 years from it being fully optimised, as faster and more reliable networks are needed. A wider and stronger private network will be key. Though immersive tech doesn’t rely solely on 5G, 5G is a powerful enabler. For example, you could go to a site, hold up a tablet, and see a building in AR exactly where it will stand, but you'd need 5G to stream the data seamlessly. All the tech elements have to come together for it to work smoothly.

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Challenges and Solutions

The next section of the workshop was focussed around creative thinking. One key theme that emerged was the generation gap – while younger professionals in the sector are being exposed to technology through STEM initiatives, many seasoned workers in construction still don’t see the need for change.

Cost remains a barrier, with worries over initial investments and continuous development costs. A common challenge was monetising new technologies or proving how they can benefit in the long run. One company shared their experience with an XR kitchen design tool – while clients found it impressive, they struggled to see how to integrate it into their businesses. The high cost of these tools, sometimes upwards of £10k, can be a barrier for smaller firms, forcing XR companies to downscale their offerings.

Looking ahead, attendees expressed optimism that public sector investment, partnerships, and improved connectivity infrastructure would help address issues like cost, tech readiness, and accessibility.

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Feedback

Kufre Usen Antia from Northumbria University, said:

“The event was incredibly rewarding, offering a valuable platform to network with seasoned professionals and exchange insights on my research in digital construction. It also introduced new concepts that have since become integral to my ongoing research.”

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Final Thoughts 

Come and pop in to our brand new 5G Immersive Lab in Eldon Square in Newcastle City Centre to check the demos listed in this blog and to learn more about how we can help you with 5G and immersive technologies.  

To get further info and the dates please follow us on social media or get in touch with Jenna Ingoe for further information: jenna.ingoe@sunderlandsoftwarecity.com