Orange and Nokia are to collaborate on developing 5G services as part of a new partnership in France.
The two companies said they planned to work on the joint definition of, and test platform deployment for, 5G, focusing on the transition between 4G and 5G in terms of power, operations and cost-effectiveness.
The joint testing aims to enable new services for consumers as well as other vertical markets.
Testing will focus on technologies such as ultra-broadband, cloud RAN, massive MIMO, network slicing, energy efficiency and the IoT.
It will use the Nokia Flexi Base Station and 5G-ready AirScale radio access portfolio, the AirFrame data centre platform, telco cloud and cyber security technologies to create applications.
Testing will be conducted in France at four sites, including the Nokia premises in Paris and Lannion and two Orange sites at Chatillon and Lannion. The telcos noted that they plan to use their respective local R&D expertise and involve local enterprises and start-ups.
Alain Maloberti, Senior Vice President, Orange Labs Networks at Orange said: “Working with Nokia, we are preparing the evolution of our networks from 4G to 5G, with multiple services on a single infrastructure to deliver a quality tailored for each service requirement. Our new services will enhance people`s lives and accelerate the digitisation of vertical industries.”
Both companies have conducted separately been investigating 5G.
Earlier this month, Orange and Ericsson achieved peak rates of over 10GBps in a 5G trial in France, the first to hit these speeds in the country.
Nokia, which has similar partnership deals in place with a number of operators, also announced plans to collaborate with Finnish operator Elisa to test technology that allows cellular base stations to be moved to and managed in the cloud, which will be significant to 5G networks.
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