Huawei partners with Intel to launch 3GPP 5G New Radio

NEW DELHI: Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei said that it has partnered with Intel to launch 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) based Interoperability Development Testing (IODT) to verify 5G technologies and their degree of maturity.

The partnership is a sign that the industry is rapidly maturing and preparing for commercial deployment of 5G from end-to-end under unified 5G standards.

In February, at the MWC 2017 global 5G test summit, Huawei, Intel, and their telecom operator partners announced they would work together to drive globally unified 5G standards. The 5G test collaboration aims to enhance cooperation among telecom operators, equipment manufacturers and vertical industry partners, create a unified 5G industry chain from chips and terminals, to network infrastructure and test equipment, and build a global 5G ecosystem. The launch of IODT by Intel and Huawei is a key step toward realizing this goal.

Based on Huawei’s 5G base station prototype and Intel®’s 3rd Generation 5G Mobile Trial Platform (MTP), both companies will jointly verify performance of key 5G NR technologies at sub-6GHz including C-Band, mmWave and mobility. The companies will conduct tests in real mobile with over the air environments directly connecting Huawei’s infrastructure and Intel’s terminal platform.

As one of the first globally converged 5G spectrum, C-Band will provide basic coverage and bandwidth for 5G. In addition, C-Band will serve as one of the world’s first commercialized 5G frequency bands. Verification of the features Huawei and Intel have launched will point to the future direction of the industry.

“Huawei is committed to driving the development and commercial deployment of 5G technologies,” said Yang Chaobin, President of 5G Product Line at Huawei. “In the IMT-2020 field tests in Beijing, Huawei fully demonstrated its competence and leadership in C-Band, mmWave, and downlink and uplink decoupling 5G technology. We are excited to work with Intel to help the industry drive development of 5G terminals and to promote sustainable development and ecosystem maturity in the industry chain.”

“Intel has been actively collaborating with leading players in the Chinese 5G industry to accelerate 5G R&D tests and commercialization with Intel's end-to-end 5G technology advantages,” said Asha Keddy, Vice President in the Communication and Devices Group at Intel Corporation.

“Based on the latest 5G NR technologies, this joint interoperability test with Huawei will further drive unified 5G standards and the industrial ecosystem in China and across the globe," Keddy added.

5G standards are moving quickly to unify, and China will be among the first countries to widely deploy 5G networks. Huawei and Intel will work closely to accelerate the era of 5G.