ZTE has tied up with telecom operator Wind Tre and wholesale fiber network operator Open Fiber to build Europe’s first 5G pre-commercial network in the 3.6-3.8GHz band in Italy.
Wind Tre and Open Fiber will partner with ZTE in conducting 5G pre-commercial trials in provinces of L’Aquila and Prato in Italy.
The selection of China-based telecom equipment maker ZTE follows the decision of the Government in early 2017 to roll out the EU 5G Action Plan to encourage mobile operators to build 5G networks and selected five pilot cities in Italy. The 5G trials in association with ZTE are important milestones in the 5G Action Plan.
ZTE will provide advanced 5G network solution for the pre-commercial field test. ZTE will associate with Wind Tre, Open Fiber, local universities, and enterprises as part of the 5G trials.
ZTE said it will test and verify 5G technical performance, network architecture, 4G/5G network integration and future 5G use cases, including AR/VR, smart city, public safety, 5G healthcare and Industry 4.0.
ZTE is also planning to build a ZTE 5G Innovation and Research Center in L’Aquila.
“We believe that this cooperation will help Italy build a 5G pre-commercial network, promote the commercialization of 5G in other countries and regions and accelerate the construction of a 5G industry chain,” said Bai Yanmin, general manager of ZTE’s TDD and 5G products.
ZTE has already signed 5G partnerships with China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, SoftBank, Telefonica, Belgium’s Telenet and South Korea’s KT.
