Official UK procurement notice
Peninsula Transport Rail Mobile Connectivity Trial
Authority: Plymouth City Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionAs public Wi-Fi availability increases, passengers expect to remain connected to their work or social networks, regardless of their location.
The opportunity to increase productivity while travelling is making public transport usage more attractive, and it has reached the point where Wi-Fi is now considered an essential offering for transport operators.
The solution proposal is to introduce on train Wi-Fi in a 60-day proof-of-concept trial.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 9 May 2025, 15:01 BST
- Last source update
- 9 May 2025, 17:03 BST
- Authority reference
27745- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-020224- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-050fe3Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Intellectual Property Exclusive Rights
- Published justification
Single supplier - intellectual property or exclusive rights
This allows for a direct award to a supplier with exclusive rights, i.e., Intellectual Property
Rights, which means that only that supplier can deliver the goods or services. Unique 5G Edge Active Antenna system is a pioneering solution in a 'blue ocean' market, with no direct
competitors offering 5G edge antennas (routers located on the roof, rather than inside the train). This innovative approach enhances performance by up to 10 times on the uplink / 4x
on the downlink compared with passive systems, while being less intrusive, more cost effective, and simpler to implement. Most importantly, it delivers a 'Wi-Fi-at-home' experience for passengers on trains.
Applied 5G Edge Active Antenna solution eliminates the need for on-train routers, RF cables, RF splitters, and patch panels.
Additionally, Patented link aggregation software inside the antennas is unique in the industry.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
9 May 2025 → 20 May 2025 · 2 dates- Notice published9 May 2025, 17:03 BST
- Standstill ends20 May 2025, 23:59 BST
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 May 2025- Transparency notice published9 May 2025, 15:01 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published9 May 2025, 17:03 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected21 May 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| McClaren Applied21 May 2025 – 31 Oct 2025 | £213,000 | 9 May 2025standstill to 20 May 2025 | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- McClaren AppliedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender