BT and Nokia are to join forces with the two companies signing a research collaboration agreement on 5G tech.
The two companies will work together on 5G customer use cases, Proof of Concept trials and the development of standards and equipment. Trials will look to focus on the technology enablers of 5G, such as mmWave radio, as well as ultrafast mobile broadband and IoT.
5G promises to improve the flexibility and usability of mobile networks, with the two companies hoping to seize on this potential to meet specific needs of customers. Flexibility will prove critical to businesses and consumer services based on IoT, with BT and Nokia hoping to drive innovations such as lower latency to support critical communications, or greater power efficiency and higher bandwidth usage for different applications.
CEO of BT Technology, Service & Operations, Howard Watson said: “Our EE mobile business already boasts the biggest 4G network in the UK, which is set to cover 95 per cent of the country by 2020. We will build on that foundation to develop the next generation of LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G services over the next few years.”
“It’s still early days for 5G technology, but experience tells us that a collaborative approach is key to success.”
The two companies have already begun collaboration in testing Nokia’s latest 5G kit at the BT Labs in Adastral Park.
Cormac Whelan, head of the UK & Ireland at Nokia said: “5G is the communications technology of the future, and it will transform how we communicate with each other, as well as communicate with devices and ‘things’.”
