ZTE announced it will showcase its 5G technologies at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2019).
ZTE is trying to expand its 5G network solutions to global telecom markets at a time when US is trying to block Huawei from 5G network deals.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he doesn’t seek to artificially block any tech company, including Huawei, from the US 5G market based on excuses or security concerns.
Shenzhen-based ZTE will unveil its first 5G device targeting to launch in Europe and China in the first half of 2019. Samsung announced the world’s first 5G smartphone and tied up with eight leading telecom operators.
ZTE 5G achievements
# ZTE launched SA solution in 2018
# ZTE built first 5G SA pilot networks in China and Europe
# Made the world’s first 5G SA call at 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz
# Completed first IoT NR connection
# 5G tests with 20 operators
# Launched several 5G products
ZTE will demonstrate 5G Indoor Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and Mobile Broadband (MBB) solutions.
ZTE will showcase its Unisite solution which deploys serialized base station products. The Unisite solution simplifies 5G network deployment, reducing costs while increasing efficiency.
ZTE in 2017 said it will be spending 2 billion yuan every year, equivalent to 2 percent of annual sales, through 2020 to supply 5G networks to mobile operators.
The company reported around 3.4 billion yuan of investment in research and development, accounting for about 12 percent of total revenue, in the first quarter of 2018. ZTE, the world’s fourth-largest telecom equipment supplier by revenue, has 3,000 employees engaged in 5G research and development.
ZTE is yet to reveal any significant 5G commercial contracts with mobile operators though it has several products in the pipeline. Samsung says it has supplied 35,000 5G base stations to mobile operators in Korea and US in 2018. Huawei announced 30 plus 5G equipment deals.
Cui Li, vice president of ZTE, said: “With a series of commercial products that can support all Radio Access Technologies (RAT) and all scenarios, ZTE will be able to build simple and converged networks for operators.”
ZTE will organize live broadcast of ZTE’s 5G and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) solution for sports venues and stadiums.
Customers can also view the performance of a 5G-based robot which is connected remotely to its operator via a live 5G network, featuring real-time control.
ZTE said its 5G transport product is ready for commercialization.
ZTE has improved the transmission performance of networks by beyond 100G. It can deliver up to 200G without regeneration in the backbone Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (WDM) network.
Last year, ZTE completed verification tests of its Pre5G antenna system — TD Massive Mimo — with China Mobile in 50 cities across 29 provinces.
ZTE is in the process of recovering from its challenging phase after paying $1.2 billion penalty imposed by the United States government to settle the company’s violation of sanctions on Iran and North Korea.
Baburajan K
