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Partnership to focus on the technical, commercial feasibility of deploying next-gen mobile tech.
BT and Huawei on Thursday announced a wide-ranging 5G research partnership.
The companies’ work will centre on network architecture, a new air interface, network slicing, M2M and IoT, and security. As well as researching the technology itself, BT and Huawei said they will also explore the technical and commercial feasibility of deploying it.
"We are determined to maximise the potential of 5G for our customers, so collaborative research has a key role to play as the technology develops. This partnership with Huawei will see us explore the potential uses and make sure 5G is designed to meet the needs of our consumer and business customers throughout the world," said BT CEO Gavin Patterson, in a statement.
The joint research will take place in various locations around the U.K., including BT’s labs in Ipswich.
The 5G partnership is the latest of several such agreements between BT and Huawei. The two companies recently conducted a trial that reached a data rate of 3 Tbps on BT’s core network, and also researched 40 Gbps speeds on the access network of BT’s infrastructure arm, Openreach.
"We have conducted joint research and development activities which have led to new products and solutions and with 5G we look forward to continuing this fruitful partnership," said Ken Hu, Huawei’s rotating CEO.
"Together we can explore the potential of 5G networks and analyse how this vital technology can best be delivered. The partnership also demonstrates Huawei’s continued commitment to partnering with world-leading business and academic organisations in the U.K. to further research and development," he said.
