In order to be one of the first to provide the 5G technology to its customers, the British telecom firm Vodafone signed a partnership agreement with the infrastructure firm Ericsson. Others partners are associated to the agreement which allows Vodafone to take part into Ericsson’s research. It will also allow the firm to prepare its telecom networks to the transition towards this new mobile standard, expected by 2020.

In a release, Vodafone says its collaboration with Ericsson regarding 5G will consist in defining the standards of the industry, set technical guidelines, and establish products roadmaps. Vodafone and other partners will evaluate which 5G technologies will be presented as the industry’s standards; the company will test hardware and software in its UK-based Innovation Labs; conduct trials on Vodafone’s radio and core networks in selected global markets ; test and evaluate a wide range of 5G technologies and services, and prioritize the benefits of 5G that can be brought to market by 2020.

Satisfied of the future collaboration with Ericsson, Vodafone Group CTO Johan Wilbergh said: “The telecom industry is still establishing what technology will offer the benefits we expect from 5G, therefore it is important to establish dedicated research programmes with these leading global companies. We expect 5G to radically enhance the speed, resilience and intelligence of mobile networks, enabling Vodafone customers to remain confidently connected as their usage of mobile data increases.”