MOSCOW, November 19 (Sputnik) – Russia’s largest mobile phone operator MegaFon and Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei have agreed to develop and implement 5G standards in Russia, MegaFon said on its official website Wednesday.
“The partners agreed to cooperate closely to create and accelerated [rapidly] roll out 5G next generation communications standard networks in Russia,” said the Russian company’s statement, which followed a memorandum of understanding signed between the parties in Shanghai.
According to MegaFon’s press release, 5G technology is expected to contribute to the efficiency of network infrastructure in Russia and will meet the demand for increased data traffic. The new standard is expected to be introduced in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2018 hosted by Russia.
“The 2018 FIFA World Cup provides a unique platform in wireless history to demonstrate Huawei’s leadership in 5G development. As always, I am delighted we once again join hands with MegaFon, the most promising and innovative carrier in Russia,” President of Huawei Products and Solutions Ryan Ding said. The president added that the Russian-Chinese project will run ahead of the planned 5G introduction goal set for 2020 by the global telecommunication industry.
The 5G project will become another example of cooperation between Chinese and Russian telecommunication companies on new technologies. At the beginning of 2014, MegaFon launched the world’s first commercial LTE Advanced network using Huawei infrastructure and subscriber equipment.
