BT and Huawei join forces to drive 5G research

It may still be a couple of years off but, with the promise of faster speeds, increased capacity and low latency, the mobile industry is busy preparing for 5G networks.

To help accelerate its development, BT and Huawei have joined forces to carry out research into 5G with the aim of driving the development and standardisation of 5G technologies throughout the industry.

Working together at the Ipswich-based BT Labs, the two companies will explore areas such as network architecture, machine-to-machine communications in IoT applications, security technologies and ‘network slicing,’ which will enable operators to designate network resources to specific services.

Giving 5G a boost

Ken Hu, Deputy Chairman of the Board and rotating CEO at Huawei said: “We are very proud of our work with BT over the last eleven years. 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. 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 UK to further research and development. We have operated in the UK for fifteen years and we look forward to continuing to help build a better connected UK in partnership with BT.”

This is not the first time the two companies have worked together. Earlier this year they achieved record speeds for data transmissions on live, commercial fibre links and this new partnership will hope to build on previous successes.

“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,” said Gavin Patterson, CEO of BT. “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.

“Huawei and BT have a strong record of collaboration when it comes to developing cutting-edge communications technologies, and we’re pleased to be building on that relationship to pioneer tomorrow’s mobile services.”

A key consideration will be how faster mobile communication technologies might be applied in the future, along with the technical and commercial feasibility of actually deploying them. With 5G development continuing to gather momentum, the race to lead the industry forward is well and truly on.

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