ZTE first to complete all key technology tests for China’s national 5G network
The company is the first on the Chinese mainland to pass all the network technology tests at one time, laying a foundation for the typical and essential 5G service scenarios, including single-user throughput higher than 10 gigabits per second and situations where simultaneous connections number more than 1 million users, ZTE said in a statement.
“We are aiming at becoming one of the first suppliers of 5G equipment globally and to help [China] gain influence in setting the standards for the network,” said Bai Gang, ZTE’s general manager of 5G products
Huawei Technologies, China’s No 1 telecoms network equipment maker, and ZTE are among the world’s leading proponents of 5G, the next-generation technology touted to deliver wireless transmission speeds 100 times faster than current 4G networks provide. Experts have previously estimated that a 5G mobile service user would be able to download a full-length, high-definition movie in one second.
We are aiming at becoming one of the first suppliers of 5G equipment globally and to help [China] gain influence in setting the standards for the network
China’s 5G tests are the world’s first and are being guided and planned by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and implemented by China’s IMT-2020 (5G) promotion group.
The testing is divided into two phases: technology R&D tests from 2016 to 2018, and product R&D tests from 2018 to 2020.
ZTE will invest around US$220 million globally on 5G and other mobile communication technologies between 2015 and 2018, according to the company.
Meanwhile, Huawei said it planned to spend US$600 million on research and development for 5G technology.
As part of the national strategy in 5G, starting this year ZTE and Huawei have been developing and launching new devices and online content tapping into the popularity of virtual reality and high definition videos. With 5G, consumers will be able to quickly stream high capacity videos via mobile networks on a variety of devices.
