The EU and China have signed a milestone agreement in the global race to develop 5G networks, during EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing. This joint declaration was signed by Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner in charge of the Digital Economy and Society, and Miao Wei, Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology. In the future, everybody and everything will use 5G, the next generation of communication networks. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be more than 30 times as much mobile Internet traffic as there was in 2010. 5G won't just be faster, it will also be the backbone of our digital future and the foundation of a trillion euro EU market in the Internet of Things (IoT).
Under this Declaration, the EU and China will strengthen cooperation to reach a global understanding on the concept, basic functionalities, key technologies and time plan for 5G by the end of 2015. They both will explore possibilities in cooperating and implementing joint research actions in the area of 5G and to facilitate bilateral participation of enterprises in 5G research projects in China and the EU. Both will together promote global standardisation for 5G, in support of ongoing standardisation work in relevant organisations such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). EU and China will cooperate in facilitating the identification of the most promising radio frequency bands to meet the new spectrum requirements for 5G and will explore the possibilities for cooperative research on the services and applications for 5G, especially in the area of the Internet of Things (IoT).
Both parties are committed to reciprocity and openness in terms of access to 5G networks research funding, market access as well as in membership of Chinese and EU 5G associations. This joint declaration builds on similar agreements with South Korea and Japan signed with the Commission in recent months. The European Commission is investing €700 million through the Horizon 2020 Programme to support research and innovation in 5G. Through its Digital Single Market Strategy announced in May, the Commission is committed to improving spectrum coordination in the EU, particularly in view of future 5G needs.
This agreement is significant because China is likely to be a major player in the development of 5G and also potentially the world's largest market for 5G technologies, products and services. The country will also have a substantial role in establishing a 5G global standard. Under this agreement, EU companies, particularly the EU telecoms and ICT industry are likely to have easier access to the Chinese market. In particular, European companies will be able to access and participate in China's publicly funded 5G research, development and innovation initiatives on the same terms as Chinese companies currently participate in the EU's 5G activities. The respective industrial associations, the EU's 5G PPP Association and China's IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Association have prepared, and are ready to sign, an industrial agreement as soon as the EU-China joint agreement on 5G is in place.
The standardization of 5G start in 2016 together with discussions on spectrum requirements for 5G that should culminate during the World Radio Conference 2019. 5G is expected to be commercially available from 2020.
