Mobile TeleSystems PJSC and Ericsson announced the signing of a cooperation agreement on the research and deployment of 5G networks in Russia. Together, the two companies will conduct network trials and develop technical requirements for the new telecommunications standard. The outcome of the partnership will directly lead to test solutions and scenarios for 5G employment as well as launch of a 5G trial zone during the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia.

5G networks will allow users to share information in real time mode at speeds in excess of 10 Gb/s, 30 times faster than the speeds currently available on 4G networks. 5G technology will ensure minimal latency on data downloads and greater network throughput capacity. Compared with previous network standards, 5G will comprise a greater number of base stations and various radio-access solutions with smaller broadcast areas operating in the 5GHz to 100 GHz bandwidth.

The International Telecommunication Union plans to implement the new standard by 2020. Under the agreement, the two companies will cooperate in the following areas: Joint dialog with regulators about the use of the frequency spectrum for 5G; The implementation of a pilot project in LTE-U (LTE-Unlicensed) /LAA (Licensed-Assisted Access) that involves the use of the LTE radio interface in the unlicensed 5GHz band together with Wi-Fi access points in 2016. The solution will provide better coverage and capacity, combining existing Wi-Fi networks with mobile network resources; Testing of Ericsson Lean Carrier technology for its use in 5G.

The solution optimizes signaling traffic between cells, eliminates interference, simplifies network planning, increases data speed rates and improves coverage; Pilot the demonstration of new radio interfaces for M2M communications: EC-GSM (Extended Coverage GSM), LTE-M (LTE Machine), NB-IoT (Narrow band IoT LTE based). Decisions will protect the frequency spectrum, improve coverage, cut power consumption and reduce the cost of devices for the Internet of Things; The deployment of 5G pilot solutions using high-speed data transmission in the 15 GHz band in 2017; Construction of the test area for the demonstration of 5G technology solutions during the 2018 football World Cup 2018 in Russia.