Ericsson and the China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI) have signed a MoU to collaborate on 5G research and development.
China Mobile, the world's largest mobile operator by number of subscribers, is accelerating investments in both 4G LTE rollouts and 5G initiatives. Under the terms of the MoU, which will initially cover a five-year period, Ericsson and China Mobile will cooperate in the following areas:
- 5G radio technology: verification, trial and standardization of a new 5G air interface for commercial deployment from 2020;
- Architecture evolution towards 5G: including close interworking between 5G and the evolution of LTE, as well as innovative RAN features to support future industrial use cases;
- Internet of Things (IoT): demonstration, verification and trial of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) for massive machine-type communication, as well as collaboration on corresponding vertical use cases;
- Joint research and standardization efforts toward global alignment on 5G;
- Global knowledge- and experience-sharing by Ericsson.
Chris Houghton, Head of Region North East Asia, Ericsson, said: ""With commercial implementation expected from 2020, Ericsson's 5G research is coming out of the labs and into live test networks, both in our headquarters in Sweden and in collaboration with our operator partners in Northeast Asia, North America and Latin America.
CMRI Deputy Head, Yuhong Huang, said: ""As the next generation of mobile infrastructure, 5G is the key pillar for ICT development globally. We feel that closer and more active cooperation between Ericsson and China Mobile will foster tangible results in 5G by helping to drive standardization, research and development, and creating an integrated, cross-industry ecosystem.""
