The European Commission (EU) and China have signed an agreement to develop a 5G communication network.
The declaration was signed by European Commissioner in charge of the Digital Economy and Society, Günther Oettinger, and Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Miao Wei, at the EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing.
Günther Oettinger said: "5G will be the backbone of our digital economies and societies worldwide.
"With today’s signature with China, the EU has now teamed up with the most important Asian partners in a global race to make 5G a reality by 2020."
Under the joint declaration signed, the parties will bolster cooperation to reach a global understanding by the year end with regard to the concept, basic functionalities, key technologies and time plan for the network.
The latest agreement is also aimed at exploring possibilities in cooperating and implementing joint research actions in the area of 5G in addition to aiding bilateral participation of enterprises in 5G research projects in China and the EU.
With an investment of €700m through the Horizon 2020 Programme, the EU aims to support research and innovation in 5G and proposes to improve spectrum coordination in the EU through its digital single market strategy announced in May.
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Under the agreement, the EU telecoms and ICT industry may have easier access to the Chinese market and participate in the country’s publicly funded 5G research, development and innovation initiatives.
Once the EU-China joint agreement on 5G is in place, the EU’s 5G PPP Association and China’s IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Association are set to sign an industrial agreement.
