Japan's KDDI has teamed up with Ericsson to test 5G on the 4.5-GHz band in a number of cities across the country.
The companies will jointly explore a 5G proof of concept on the 4.5-GHz frequency, one of the candidates for 5G in Japan.
The trial will involve a large number of tests on both the 4.5-GHz and 28-GHz bands based on range of 5G use cases, including interworking between 5G and LTE. It is expected to be complete by March.
“Our collaborative partnership with Ericsson strongly supports KDDI’s objective to launch commercial 5G services for our subscribers and enterprise customers by 2020,” KDDI senior managing executive officer Yoshiaki Uchida said.
“Ericsson’s technology leadership makes it possible for us to test new use cases in various environments, which will ensure a smooth introduction of our future 5G services.”
KDDI and Ericsson have been collaborating on 5G development since late 2015, and have been conducting proof of concept activities using the 28-GHz band in Shinjuku - one of the busiest districts of Tokyo – since January this year.
Ericsson also recently entered a partnership with KDDI rival SoftBank to test 5G in the 4.5-GHz band once SoftBank receives an experimental 5G license.