Huawei will invest £5 million ($8 million) into the University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC).
Huawei has unveiled the details of its co-operation with the UK university's 5G R&D lab. The investment forms part of the $600 million Huawei has committed towards 5G R&D through to 2018.
The company was a founding member of the 5GIC, along with a host of other partners including Samsung, Fujitsu, Vodafone and the BBC.
Working together, the companies plan to co-develop the world's first 5G test bed to allow for real-world testing of 5G prototype devices.
The consortium expects development of the testbed to take just over a year to complete. It will be built in phases, with the first phase expected to be operational by April.
The 5G standard is expected to deliver peak speeds of between 1Gbps and 10Gbps.
“Huawei is committed to researching and developing future technologies that help build better connected societies, businesses and economies. Making 5G a success will be essential in achieving this,” Huawei Wireless Networks CTO Dr Tong Wen said.
“Our work with the 5GIC at the University of Surrey will enable us to test cutting-edge, fifth-generation mobile technologies in an open and collaborative environment, and help to turn the vision of 5G into a reality.”
Plans for the University of Surrey's 5GIC have been in the works since 2012.