VIAVI Joins ORBIT Consortium to Bring Digital Twin Technology to Private 5G on Blackpool's Trams and Buses

The approximately $4.15 million project will test multi-vendor private 5G integration in a live public transport environment.

Rhea-AI Summary

VIAVI Solutions (NASDAQ: VIAV) has joined the ORBIT consortium to support a private 5G network across Blackpool's trams and buses. The project has a total budget of approximately $4.15 million and is funded by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Innovate UK.

VIAVI plans to use its digital twin, a virtual network model, to simulate transport routes and test network control routines before field trials. Blackpool Council leads the project, with the University of York and Hitachi Rail also participating. Planned outputs include live transport demonstrations, reports on how different vendors' equipment works together, and a reference network design to support early market evaluation.

Positive

• Minor pointORBIT participation places VIAVI in a government-funded private 5G project with a total budget of approximately $4.15 million.
• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.VIAVI and its partners plan live demonstrators, interoperability and assurance reports, and a reference architecture.

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Total project budget: approximately $4.15 million

Total project budget

approximately $4.15 million

ORBIT project

Key Terms

open ran, standalone non-public 5g network (snpn), network slice

3 terms

open ran technical

"multi-vendor Open RAN deployment in a live public transport environment"

Open RAN is an approach to building the radio part of mobile networks that breaks the system into standard, swappable pieces so equipment from different suppliers can fit together, like using Lego bricks instead of one molded toy. For investors, it can mean lower equipment costs, more supplier competition and faster innovation — but also potential integration and security risks that can affect telecom vendors, operators and capital spending plans.

standalone non-public 5g network (snpn) technical

"integrate and assure a standalone non-public 5G network (SNPN)"

A standalone non-public 5G network (SNPN) is a private cellular network built using 5G technology that operates in standalone (SA) mode—meaning it uses a 5G radio access network together with a 5G core network under the network operator’s control—and is designated for restricted, non-public use rather than general consumer access. It provides local coverage, device authentication, quality-of-service and network-slicing capabilities similar to public 5G but isolates traffic and control functions on-site or under a dedicated operator/enterprise management, often using licensed, shared, or locally assigned spectrum subject to regulatory permissions. Unlike public mobile networks, an SNPN is configured to limit access to authorized users and systems and may be deployed on-premises, at a campus, or as a managed service, with optional interconnection to public networks when allowed by policy or regulation.

network slice technical

"a network slice for operational technology communications"

A network slice is a virtual, isolated segment of a physical telecommunications network that operates like its own dedicated network, engineered for specific speed, capacity, latency, and security needs. For investors, it matters because operators can sell these tailored “private lanes” to different customers and industries, unlocking new revenue streams, higher margins and more efficient use of existing infrastructure while changing competitive dynamics and capital or operating cost profiles.

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RAN digital twin modeling to plan and validate multi-vendor Open RAN deployment in a live public transport environment

CHANDLER, Ariz., Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- VIAVI Solutions Inc. (VIAVI) (NASDAQ: VIAV) has announced its participation in ORBIT (Orchestrated mobile Network for Blackpool intelligent transport), a collaborative project funded by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Innovate UK. With a total project budget of approximately $4.15 million, ORBIT will integrate and assure a standalone non-public 5G network (SNPN) across Blackpool's tramway and bus network.

Private 5G is increasingly recognized as essential to safer, more resilient transport, but operators face fragmented vendor ecosystems and limited evidence that multi-vendor Open RAN components will perform together as a complete, procurable system. ORBIT addresses this system-level gap, focusing on integration and assurance. Use cases include live CCTV streaming for incident management, multimedia delivery to onboard screens and a network slice for operational technology communications.

VIAVI's Network Digital Twin based on the TeraVM AI RAN Scenario Generator (AI RSG) will model Blackpool's tram and bus routes, enabling control routines to be refined and tested against highly realistic traffic scenarios ahead of field trials. This approach helps validate performance, resilience and energy efficiency at system level, reducing technical risk and integration overhead before equipment reaches the street.

"The same approach to validating connectivity and AI-driven control before live deployment can be applied beyond ORBIT to other critical, distributed assets such as utilities, airports, ports, advanced manufacturing sites and other nationally significant infrastructure," said Ian Langley, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Wireless, Security and Applications, VIAVI. "ORBIT gives us a live reference case for applying our digital twin capabilities to network deployments across critical sectors to reduce cost and risk."

In this project, VIAVI will work with Blackpool Council, which leads ORBIT, as well as the University of York and Hitachi Rail to deliver live demonstrators on Blackpool trams and buses, interoperability and assurance reports, and a replicable reference architecture to support early market evaluation of assured 5G solutions.

About VIAVI
VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global leader in test and measurement and optical technologies. Our test and measurement, and resilient Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions enable and secure critical infrastructure ranging from data center ecosystems and communication networks to military, aerospace, railway and first responder communications. In addition, we develop and advance technologies used in high-volume optical applications across anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, aerospace, industrial and automotive end markets.

Learn more about VIAVI at www.viavisolutions.com. Follow us on VIAVI Perspectives, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Media Inquiries:
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Emma Jenkins
emma@grandbridges.com
+1 415 800 4529

 

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SOURCE VIAVI Solutions

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What will VIAVI do in the ORBIT private 5G project?

VIAVI will use its Network Digital Twin to model Blackpool's tram and bus routes and test network control routines before field trials. It will work with Blackpool Council, the University of York and Hitachi Rail on live demonstrations and network integration and assurance outputs.

How much funding does the ORBIT project involving VIAVI have?

ORBIT has a total project budget of approximately $4.15 million. The collaborative project is funded by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Innovate UK.