US chipmaker Intel has announced the successful completion of 5G interoperability testing with China Mobile and Huawei. The tests, conducted in line with the 3GPP Release 15 standard, represent a key milestone on the path to commercial 5G deployment.
Asha Keddy, Intel’s Vice President and General Manager for Next Generation and Standards, said the work is part of Intel’s efforts to accelerate 5G commercialization following the finalization of the 3GPP 5G R15 specification. Intel has been collaborating with leading industry partners on 5G NR trials to prepare for the launch of the XMM™8000 series of commercial multi-mode 5G chipsets, expected to be available in commercial devices in 2019. Keddy added that China is poised to be an early leader in 5G and that Intel’s joint effort with China Mobile and Huawei will help advance end-to-end 5G solutions spanning the network, the cloud, and client devices.
The first commercial 5G networks and compatible smartphones are expected to begin rolling out later this year. Interoperability testing is a necessary precursor to broad commercial deployment, ensuring that devices and network equipment from different vendors can work seamlessly together.
Huang Yuhong, Vice President of China Mobile Research Institute, noted that the interoperability test’s success will provide a wider array of terminal devices for China Mobile’s upcoming large-scale 5G trials and will serve as a significant verification of 5G readiness. China Mobile plans to launch pre-commercial 5G terminals in 2019, which the operator expects to enable enhanced mobile broadband, industry video, and smart manufacturing use cases.
Yang Chaobin, President of Huawei’s 5G product line, emphasized that 3GPP 5G NR-based interoperability testing will help accelerate commercial 5G rollout. Huawei intends to continue working with operators and ecosystem partners to mature China’s 5G industry and support operators in realizing successful 5G business models.
Test configurations included Massive MIMO at the base station and an Intel 2T4R terminal. With these configurations, achieved data rates are expected to reach about 1.5 Gbps—sufficient to support demanding services such as 8K video streaming and immersive VR applications.
Earlier this year, China Mobile announced plans to build what it described as “the world’s largest” 5G trial network. The operator will begin 5G trials in cities including Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Wuhan.
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