The two signed an MoU in Beijing, China for the project, which will focus on driving broader co-operation between stakeholders worldwide in a bid to achieve a standardisation for the technology.
“We are very excited to be embarking on this new journey with CAICT towards the development of global 5G standards,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, SVP and CTO at Ericsson.
“Ericsson and CAICT have a long history of successful co-operation and we share the belief that mobile broadband technology benefits society by lifting productivity and the quality of life, and thereby contributing to sustainable development for all.”
Both firms have pledged mutual co-operation and support in promoting 5G standards, as well as agreeing to share information on convergence in vertical industries, industry transformation, applications and eco-system development.
“CAICT is as committed as Ericsson to the international standardisation of technologies through co-operation,” said Cao Shumin, president of CAICT.
“We believe this is essential for achieving global economies of scale and fostering innovation. China – with a fledgling ICT industry infrastructure and the world’s largest number of mobile subscriptions – will continue to be a vigorous driver of ICT innovation and sustainable growth.”
CAICT pioneered 3G and 4G standards, and the two companies hope to accelerate 5G research towards a commercialisation date of 2020 for the technology.
In March last year, Ericsson launched a 5G transport lab in Sweden.
