China Mobile states plans to begin large-scale precommercial 5G technology trials in 2019.
BARCELONA, Spain – China Mobile said it will launch a new phase of its “5G” field trials this year, according to Liu Guangyi, CTO of wireless development at China Mobile Research Institute, during a presentation at the Huawei Digital Transformation Forum.
The carrier plans to carry out field trials in Shanghai and Chengdu in partnership with compatriot vendor Huawei. In Beijing, 5G field trials are set to be carried out in collaboration with Swedish vendor Ericsson and Datan Mobile, while trials in Guangzhou and Hangzhou will be carried out in partnership with ZTE and Nokia, respectively.
The trials are set to use 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.4 GHz to 3.6 GHz band and massive multiple-input/multiple-output technology using 128 antennas. The carrier noted its MIMO plans also include what it terms “3D” technology wherein 128 antenna elements will be deployed on its current LTE networks beginning this year.
According to Liu, the company plans to focus on proof-of-concept system field trials this year, move to precommercial trials next year, a broader push of those trials in 2019, and progress to 5G commercial service launches in 2020. The executive also said the telco will start focusing this year on narrowband internet of things and enhanced machine-type communication technologies.
“We should start focusing on IoT right now,” Liu explained. “If not we will miss the opportunity.”
