On 14 September 2016, the European Commission set out proposals for the timely deployment of 5G. Commenting on the plans, Tony Graziano, Vice-President of Huawei’s European Public Affairs and Communication Office, said:

“At Huawei, we warmly welcome the European Commission’s proposals for the gradual launch of 5G networks from 2018 onwards, in the context of its plans to develop a competitive Digital Single Market. The Commission has recognised the vital need to move up a gear and take an ambitious approach to 5G development and deployment. The outlined approach and timetable are fully in line with Huawei’s strategy in this field. In particular, we welcome the Commission’s stance on 5G spectrum requirements. Huawei also wholly supports the strategic target dates of 2018 for early networks, 2020 for fully-fledged commercial service in ‘pilot’ cities, and 2025 for uninterrupted coverage.

The Action Plan calls for a united and sustained commitment by all parties, including the EU institutions, the Member States, the research and financial communities as well as the industry. At Huawei, we are eager to play our part in this process.

We look forward to contributing to pan-European multi-stakeholder trials to turn 5G innovation into full business solutions.

Huawei has long been placing a strong focus on 5G research and innovation. In Europe, the company is cooperating with public and private partners and participating in EU 5G research projects, including the 5G-PPP. Together with its European partners, it has launched a 5G Vertical Industry Accelerator (5G VIA) and a testbed in Munich, Germany. The company is also researching 5G technologies at Surrey University’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) in the UK, where it will be investing £5 million as part of the $600 million that Huawei is committing to 5G research globally by 2018.

As Europe is pressing ahead with its commitment to taking the lead on 5G, Huawei remains fully committed to supporting its European partners and driving Europe’s digital transformation process."

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About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Our aim is to enrich life and improve efficiency through a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society, and collaborative contributor to the industry. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Huawei's 170 000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises, and consumers. Our innovative ICT solutions, products, and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world's population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

Huawei currently has over 10 000 staff based in Europe, of whom 1 570 are working in R&D. We run 18 R&D organisations located in eight European countries (Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and the UK) and operate numerous joint innovation centres in partnership with telecom and ICT partners.

Further information is available at www.huawei.eu