Tele2 and Huawei will cooperate in 5G development

Tele2, an alternative mobile operator, and Huawei, the world’s leading provider of info-communication solutions, signed a partnership agreement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The document defines the opportunities for strategic cooperation in the development of a 5G-oriented transport and backbone network.

The Agreement

An agreement on strategic cooperation in 5G development was signed by Tele2 CEO Sergey Emdin and Zhao Lei, president of Huawei’s operator business in Russia. The parties will cooperate in the study of opportunities to introduce 5G technology on Tele2’s network. It will allow the operator to be ready for the commercial launch of the new standard. The agreements provide for testing high-speed ultra-broadband communication networks using Huawei’s expertise.

Actively participating in discussions on ways to deploy 5G in Russia, Tele2 is exploring the potential of new services, investing in technology testing and involving strong partners in this process. Cooperation with Huawei is due to the fact that the company is one of the leaders in the technological revolution connected with practical application of the latest standard. Huawei has already deployed a number of 5G networks around the world in test mode, and commercial use of the technology is scheduled to start in 2019.

Quotes:

Sergey Emdin, Tele2 General Director:

“The introduction of 5G technology in Russia is accompanied by active debates among market participants and the search for ways to develop the standard in Russia. Despite unresolved regulatory and infrastructure issues, we understand how important it is to be technologically ready to implement innovative services. Tele2 has been successfully testing scenarios of 5G application in different industries for several years. At this stage, it is important for us to secure a partnership with Huawei, the flagship of technology development, which has already presented a 5G smartphone at the congress in Barcelona. We are confident that joint work on the application of the standard will help bring its commercial launch in Russia closer.

Zhao Lei, President of Huawei’s Carrier Business Unit in Russia:

“We are happy to enter into a partnership with Tele2. Huawei helps operators to create reliable, future-oriented networks, which brings the large-scale implementation of 5G closer. We are pleased to provide our expertise and experience to our Russian partners to accelerate digital transformation and bring the 5G era closer in Russia and around the world.