China’s Oppo doubles down on 5G with partner Ericsson as US sanctions-hit Huawei leaves void in smartphone industry

Chinese consumer electronics firm Oppo, the world’s fourth-largest smartphone vendor in the past three quarters, has teamed up with Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson to pursue advances in 5G technology, with the goal to fill the void left by US-blacklisted rival Huawei Technologies Co in the mobile industry.

In partnership with Ericsson, Oppo last week unveiled what it describes as an upgraded communications laboratory in Shenzhen, where it will conduct 5G research and development activities – from software protocol updates and regional tuning to testing – for upcoming smartphones.

Oppo’s lab in Shenzhen, where the company has relocated from its previous base in the neighbouring city of Dongguan, will focus on exploring potential killer apps that could fully realise the promise of 5G mobile technology, while improving user experience in terms of power consumption, according to Chris Shu, Oppo’s vice-president and general manager of product strategy and cooperation.

Shu said Oppo will rely on its own software capabilities to push new developments in 5G mobile technology even though some of the lab’s equipment are sourced from abroad. “Many of the equipment came in without a code,” he said in an interview last week. “A box won’t be meaningful unless we develop the technology on it, so that we can explore the most cutting-edge technologies.”

This 5G lab by Oppo, China’s second-biggest smartphone vendor in the second quarter behind Vivo, marks the company’s latest high-profile move to position itself as a new force in Shenzhen, known as China’s Silicon Valley, which has long been home to Huawei.