Vodafone Group partners with technology companies to plan a path to 5G

Vodafone Group is partnering with Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson, Intel and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to research 5G technologies and prepare its networks for a transition towards the new mobile standard.

5G will be the next generation of mobile technology, which the International Telecoms Union expects to be formally defined by 2020. As part of the global research effort to develop 5G, Vodafone will work with its partners to define industry standards, establish technical guidelines and prepare product roadmaps. Vodafone and its partners will:

Researchers predict that 5G will help deliver a new wave of innovation in digital networks, which will benefit both consumers and a wide range of industries. 5G networks have the potential to:

Johan Wibergh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Group, said:

“The telecoms industry is still establishing what technology will deliver the benefits we expect from 5G, so it is important to establish dedicated research programmes with these leading global companies. We expect 5G to radically enhance the speed, resilience and intelligence of mobile networks, enabling Vodafone customers to remain confidently connected as their usage of mobile data increases.”

Eric Xu, Rotating CEO of Huawei, said:

“5G carries the historical mission for another decade of mobile industry evolution into the 2020s. There are two main development directions - continuing to enhance the mobile internet user experience, as well as supporting and developing the internet of things for vertical industries. Although 5G will create enormous opportunities, we face many technical and business challenges. I believe that continuous technology innovation and open collaboration are the key to overcome the challenges successfully. Huawei will continue to make strategic investments in 5G technology research and industrialisation. At the same time, I look forward and believe that collaboration between Huawei, Vodafone and other industry partners will make important contributions to the industrial development of 5G.”

Marc Rouanne, Chief Innovation & Operating Officer at Nokia, said:

“5G will be a key enabler of the next industrial revolution, expanding the human possibility of technologies. Together with Vodafone, a long-standing customer, we will work on making 5G a commercial reality for the benefit of internet of things industries, focusing on European industry, in an attempt to make the world safer, cleaner, more liveable and sustainable, more efficient, more personal and peaceful... more human.”

Arun Bansal, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Radio, Ericsson, said:

“Ericsson is focused on taking 5G out of the labs and into real-world environments so we welcome the opportunity to support Vodafone’s 5G research objectives. With 5G networks promising to transform everything from transportation to healthcare to the way we watch movies, it is great to see our long-time partner, Vodafone, taking a leadership role in the next generation of mobile technology."

Aicha Evans, corporate vice president and general manager of the Intel Communication and Devices Group, said:

“5G will usher in a new era in mobile communications that will bring richer experiences to our lives. Industry collaboration will be essential to develop and implement new network architectures that have increased levels of performance and intelligence and can offer improved performance and flexibility across devices and networks.”

Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and President of Qualcomm Europe, Inc. said:

“We are pleased to collaborate with Vodafone and other industry leaders on the development of 5G. 5G will take on a much larger role than previous generations, not only enhancing mobile broadband services, but also expanding connectivity for the internet of things and new types of mission-critical services that require lower latency, higher reliability and robust security.”

Vodafone Group is a leader within the telecoms industry in the development of 5G. It holds the Chair in the NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) 5G Requirements and Architecture group, founded the Chair of Mobile Communications at the Dresden University of Technology and co-founded the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey.