China will soon enjoy faster Internet connection as some of the country’s leading network providers pioneer in the 5G telecom tech research.
China will be able to develop 5G telecom technology and deliver it to consumers "in a few years," the Global System for Mobile Communications Association's (GSMCA) new director-general Mats Granryd told China Daily.
According to Granryd, China's telecom development progresses so rapidly and the country may as well be considered the first to deliver 5G to consumers.
"Some operators in Asia, Europe and the United States are claiming they will launch 5G as early as 2018, which is two years before it will be fully standardized," he explained. "China's major operators are all working on 5G and will be early adopters of the technology."
What Is 5G?
According to Tech Target, 5G stands for the fifth generation of wireless broadband technology based on the IEEE 802.11ac standard.
Since it is a newer version, it is expected to provide faster connection than the current 4G as it operates with a 5Ghz signal, offering speed of "up to 1 Gb/s for tens of connections or tens of Mb/s for tens of thousands of connections."
China's Progress Toward 5G
"In working with our members and considering how we are going to treat 5G from a government perspective, it's important for us to follow global standards and regulations," the GSMCA director-general explained.
Among China's frontiers in the 5G development research is China Mobile, the world's biggest provider of 4G network.
In March, the South China Morning Post reported about how the company unveiled their initial move toward the development of 5G.
"This year will see more testing and experiments on 5G," SCMP quoted Li Yue, China Mobile's chief executive, as saying.
According to Li, the company targets 2018 as the year when they increase promotional activity on the new technology, while full commercialization is predicted to be made in 2020.
Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications equipment supplier where Granryd worked for 15 years, is helping China Mobile accomplish the tasks necessary for the development of 5G tech.
ZTE Corp. had also revealed plans in supporting the development of the high-frequency prototype, in a report from RCR Wireless.
"The ZTE-developed prototype operates on a 15-gigahertz carrier with a bandwidth of 500 megabits and boasts a hardware structure of a large-capacity baseband unit and an intelligent remote radio unit," the company said in a statement.
Moreover, ZTE committed about 2,000 employees who would work on the development of the new technology.