China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile network operator, has announced it has signed a collaboration agreement concerning the development of 5G technologies with Californian company Agilent.
The deal will see Agilent work with China Mobile’s Research Institute (CMRI) to support its research and development programmes on 5G and provide test and measurement systems for next-generation 5G wireless communication systems.
CMRI’s research will look to focus on the major technical aspects of 5G, including large-scale antenna systems (LSAS), full-duplex radio, energy efficiency and spectral efficiency co-design, and new signalling/control mechanisms to achieve the main theme of green and soft.
"Our strong collaboration with CMRI on the 5G research will allow us to lead the technology exploration of next-generation wireless communication systems," said Andy Botka, Agilent vice president and general manager of the Microwave and Communications Division.
Agilent would be able to provide the CMRI research teams with the "measurement expertise" needed to design, develop and validate its new 5G systems and their testing, Botka added.
Going forward, Agilent will have a dedicated team in its R&D centre in Beijing to work directly with the CMRI teams, which are currently made up of around a thousand research scientists, engineers, managerial and administrative staff, 91% of which have a higher-education degree up to master degree or Ph.D.
Last year, China Mobile announced it would be investing $7bn in building 4G networks as it looked to reach 500m users across the country. The company has enjoyed signficant growth this year thanks to its exclusive rights to Apple’s iPhone in China, making it the only licensed retailer to sell the devices in the country.
