China moves ahead with 5G mobile development plans despite Huawei’s legal woes
- China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have been granted 5G radio frequency spectrum allocations to pursue trials in the next-generation mobile system ahead of its wide roll-out from 2020
China is moving rapidly to develop 5G services nationwide after allocating radio frequency spectrum for the next-generation mobile system to the country’s three telecommunications carriers, despite concerns over the legal battle being waged by network equipment giant Huawei Technologies in Canada.
The central government awarded China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom with 5G spectrum licences on Friday, enabling them to conduct final trials for the new mobile system before its wide commercial roll-out from 2020.
“This sends a clear signal to the industry that we aim to promote the maturity and development of China’s 5G industry,” the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement posted on its website on Monday.
The MIIT said the trials would ensure the compatibility of the various types of radio frequency spectrum ahead of the launch of 5G mobile services.
Unicom and China Telecom were allocated 100 megahertz each of spectrum in the 3.5-gigahertz to 3.6GHz bands and 3.4GHz to 3.5GHz bands, respectively, for their trial 5G networks, according to separate filings to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday.