The COVID-19 pandemic has seen many people transition to working from home, relying on home broadband connections. Whilst the UK's broadband infrastructure has proven effective for the many, rural communities have been affected by the strain placed on networks. Many remote villages do not have fixed-line access, instead using use wireless broadband; the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in congestion on these networks, hampering rural users now working from home. Additionally, limited broadband connectivity particularly affects rural areas in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and contributes to regional economic inequality in the UK. The UK government recently announced £1Bn funding to expand cellular network coverage in rural areas, addressing the "digital divide" for rural communities. However, the benefit from this investment is limited by current radio frequency (RF) hardware technologies.

Forefront RF is a recently incorporated start-up company, founded to commercialise signal cancellation technologies developed at the University of Bristol. This technology has potential applications in cellular home routers for wireless broadband, and mobile network infrastructure. By replacing fixed frequency components with a "frequency agile" cancellation circuits, user equipment and infrastructure can be made "future proof" to the release of new spectrum. This extends the useful product lifespan of these systems, reducing replacement costs, reducing carbon emission from equipment manufacture, and reducing e-waste. This also supports UK regulatory policy with regards to spectrum licensing.

This project will undertake further research, to develop new circuit topologies to address commercially relevant features and performance, implement hardware prototypes, and assess manufacturing options, with the aim of demonstrating the viability of a commercial implementation.

By developing "future proof" RF hardware, device "upgrades" and network "roll-outs" would be done as software updates. This not only reduces cost and improves sustainability, but also ensures fair and inclusive wireless access for all parts of the country, as network upgrades would happen simultaneously across all geographies.