Ericsson and China Mobile Research Institute signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on “5G” research and development as well as “Internet of Things” technology.
The agreement will initially cover a five-year period with the collaboration set to include verification, trial and standardization of a new 5G air interface for commercial deployment from 2020.
China Mobile and Ericsson will also focus on network 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.
As part of the agreement, China Mobile and Ericsson will also cooperation on the IoT segment, including demonstration, verification and trial of narrowband IoT for machine-type communication, as well as collaboration on corresponding vertical use cases.
"As the next generation of mobile infrastructure, 5G is the key pillar for ICT development globally,” said Yuhong Huang, deputy head of CMRI. “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."
China Mobile initially launched 4G services using TD-LTE technology in December 2013. By the end of November, the operator had over 287 million 4G subscribers, accounting nearly 35% of its total mobile customer base.