China Mobile signs up 42 more partners

Companies plan to accelerate 5G network innovation, help realize its commercialization

China Mobile Communications Corp, the world's biggest wireless telecom operator by subscribers, said last week that so far 42 companies from various related sectors have become the latest partners of its global 5G Innovation Center.

Those companies include Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Nokia Technologies, Intel Corp and Audi AG. Together they plan to step up the innovation of 5G and help to realize its commercialization in 2020, China Mobile said.

Currently, the core technologies of 5G are clear and the industry has reached a consensus, according to an official from China Mobile's think tank. The strong demand for a faster network is driving the development of 5G network globally.

China Mobile and other major telecom players are rushing to form partnerships with cutting-edge sectors like the internet of things, the internet of vehicles, virtual reality, augmented reality, and big data-based sectors like cloud computing, robots and artificial intelligence.

"The 5G technology can execute tasks that were impossible using 4G or earlier technologies, because it has ultrahigh capacity and ultralow latency. It will also combine with cloud technology, and become more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly," said Huang Yuhong, deputy general manager of China Mobile Research Institute.

"The commercialization of 5G will benefit many related high-end technology sectors, as 4G can't meet the demand of sectors like virtual reality and augmented reality. We are cooperating with telecommunication and internet enterprises, and other vertical industry partners, to innovate applications and products and build an ecosystem," she said.

With about 1.3 million 4G base stations across the country, China Mobile operates the world's largest 4G network. As of May, the company had more than 400 million 4G subscribers, more than that of smaller rivals China United Telecommunications Corp Ltd and Telecommunications Corporation combined.

Officials from China Mobile's think tank said it would focus on the development and application of 5G on smart city, smart home and industrial internet. It also plans to cooperate with Huawei and Swedish tech giant Ericsson to build laboratories in Chengdu, Sichuan province and Stockholm, Sweden.

The company hopes to take a lead in the development of the next-generation of communication technology, and it will soon start test verifications on key technologies such as large-scale antenna and high-frequency prototype.