Huawei and MegaFon have signed a cooperation agreement to roll out 5G networks in Russia ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The main challenges for 5G networks will be the number of specified frequency bands and network capacity. The new technology is expected to increase the efficiency of network infrastructure.
With the emergence of super-fast mobile Internet and boom in the popularity of affordable devices, subscribers have significantly increased data traffic volumes. Subscribers can experience 5G mobile Internet speed while using heavy-data files; for example videos start playing immediately, without having to wait for the file to load.
The agreement will mark the first time ever that specialists from MegaFon can be involved in the development of a communications standard, and therefore can influence its technical characteristics in terms of realities of the Russian telecommunications market, its frequency range and terrain. Huawei will test pilot equipment for the new standard on the operator’s network based on the MegaFon’s recommendations.
Mikhail Dubin, Executive Director of Consumer Business, MegaFon, said: “Fast Internet speed and high quality services are our key advantages and we are maintaining this valuable quality for our clients. MegaFon’s strategic priority is technological leadership, so we will continue develop and roll out new technologies to provide the best quality for our customers.”
Ryan Ding, President of Huawei Products and Solutions, said: “The communication boundaries between humans and machines shall be broken by 5G. The 2018 FIFA World Cup provides a unique platform in wireless history to demonstrate Huawei’s leadership in 5G development. With support of MegaFon, we are confident of turning a science-fiction-like service into 5G reality for citizens in Russia and soccer fans around the world, two years ahead of the industry’s estimated 5G introduction date of 2020.”
MegaFon and Huawei have a successful track record of cooperating to develop next generation networks in Russia. MegaFon used Huawei network infrastructure and subscriber equipment when it launched the world’s first commercial LTE Advanced network with mobile data speeds of up to 300MB/s at the beginning of this year.
