Successful next-generation New Radio tests mark progress

China Mobile Communications Corp, ZTE Corp and Qualcomm Inc have reached a milestone in the precommercialization of fifth-generation communication technologies, by successfully conducting the world's first end-to-end 5G New Radio technology test.

The trio announced in mid-November that they have completed an interoperability test based on the 5G New Radio specifications under development by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, or 3GPP, an industry coalition dedicated to promoting global wireless communications standards.

The 3.5 gigahertz data connection, which was tested at China Mobile's 5G Joint Innovation Center, is set to accelerate the commercial application of 5G. It is made possible thanks to ZTE's precommercial base station and a 5G prototype developed by Qualcomm Technologies Inc, a unit of Qualcomm.