The Computer Network Information Center (CNIC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Network Technology Research Institute of China Unicom signed a cooperative agreement during the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018 on June 28 to establish a 5G Technology Joint Laboratory and collaborate on 5G technology development. Liao Fangyu, Director General of CNIC and Shao Guanglu, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom, attended the signing ceremony and unveiled the joint lab.

Liao Fangyu pointed out that 5G technology is the key strategic direction of the country's scientific and technological development, which has far-reaching impact on economic development and research paradigm and shift. The previous collaborative activities between CNIC and China Unicom have paved the way for a more strengthened partnership for the joint development of 5G technology and its application in supporting scientific research.

“China Unicom has been attaching great importance to 5G technology innovation and its applications in new areas”, said Zhang Yong, Director of the Network Technology Research Institute of China Unicom. Both sides will spare no effort to drive the development, use and commercialization of 5G technology.

By establishing the joint lab, the two sides will strengthen the cooperation on 5G technology development in the near future, and in the long run collaborate on a series of key technologies such as edge computing, network slicing, Internet of Things and industrial Internet. The lab will release joint research results, develop advanced applications based on China Unicom's 5G industrial environment and the application environment of China Science and Technology Cloud, and promote the industrialization and standardization of key technologies. The lab will also actively explore the use of 5G technology in supporting field science stations and scientific expeditions. In addition, the establishment of the joint lab will foster the development of the next-generation network technology and the technical testbed, one of the prioritized areas of CNIC during the 13th Five-Year Plan; and lay a solid foundation for the convergence of 5G technology and other technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and visualization, and for the development of China Science and Technology Cloud.

For details, please contact Mr. Zhou Xu (zhouxu@cstnet.cn).