ZTE said pre 5G tests will take three to four months
BARCELONA, Spain – ZTE signed a memorandum of understanding with mobile operator Hutchison Drei Austria to deploy what it’s calling the first “pre-5G” trial site in Europe.
In 2010, the Austrian telco selected ZTE as its strategic partner for modernizing its radio access and core network. The telco now offers nationwide 2G, 3G and LTE coverage.
“We will explore new technologies to better meet their growing needs,” said Matthias Balderman, CTO at Hutchinson Drei Austria. “We expect ZTE to stay pacemaker for important technology developments and this partnership shall derive technology advances tangible to our customers.”
Baldermann said the pre-5G trial will be implemented in March and depending on the evolution of the trial they will decide to test the technology in live conditions.
“ZTE’s proposal involves using core 5G technologies already on 4G networks to alleviate the pressure of the data traffic surge on telecom operators’ networks before the standardization of 5G technologies comes into place,” ZTE said in a statement.
ZTE said it carried out a commercial test of multiple-input/multiple-output antenna technology with China Mobile in November 2015, and completed a field trial of MIMO technology with Japanese mobile operator SoftBank in Tokyo late last year. The MIMO base stations are also said to work with existing LTE infrastructure and user terminals.
The Chinese firm recently confirmed plans to market “pre-5G” technology in 10 markets across Asia and Europe this year.
ZTEWelink inks deal with Octo Telematics
In related news, ZTE subsidiary ZTEWelink Technology signed a cooperation agreement with Octo Telematics, a global provider of telematics solutions. Under terms of the agreement, ZTEWeling will provide technology to help Octo develop its insurance telematics business in the European market.
ZTEWeling focuses on the development, production and marketing of wireless communication modules, industry customized terminals and machine-to-machine solutions.
