Vivo plans to launch its 5G pre-commercial devices by 2019

Smartphone maker Vivo announced its partnership with China Mobile on the "China Mobile 5G Device Forerunner Initiative" to launch the first batch of 5G pre-commercial devices for scale-up trial application showcase, plus establish support for the development of 5G devices, chipsets, and component supply chains.

The "China Mobile 5G Device Forerunner Initiative" led by China Mobile brings together more than 20 of the industry's most influential and capable chipset manufacturers, component manufacturers and end-solution providers, forming a strong industry ecosystem for 5G development.

"The smartphone industry's growth is increasingly driven by the user experience, which has significantly grown the influence of smartphone manufacturers on communication standards and regulations. In Vivo, 5G is both an opportunity and a challenge as technology changes emerge more rapidly so the pace of market change is faster than ever. Continuous innovation is the only way to forge ahead in today's dynamic era," Shi said at the event.

The company said that it also plans to launch its 5G pre-commercial devices by 2019 and officially release a commercial 5G smartphone by 2020. Adding that 5G networks will deliver higher speeds, lower latency and more bandwidth than ever. As applications of these key features in mobile communications broaden, 5G devices will take on different forms. While AR/VR and wearables continue to evolve, the 5G smartphone will continue to be the core platform for mobile users with its unmatched user base size.

Vivo also believes that the 5G smartphone will act as a hub for Smart Sensors, Smart Control, and Smart Services. Smartphones will detect and analyze user behavior, form a control center for the Internet of things and deliver personalized AI-enabled services.

.ivo set up its 5G Research Institute in Beijing in 2016 and became one of the largest device providers at the 3GPP group to help develop 5G technologies. In the past year, the company has also activated 5G antenna and frequency related development to further accelerate the pace of 5G innovation.

Vivo's partnership with China Mobile on 5G started in 2016 with a joint solution that reduces power consumption of 5G devices.

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To enable the unique consumer experience shifts that 5G will bring, the smartphone company has also been working closely with Qualcomm on a 5G demonstration to showcase the power of 5G applied across a range of end-to-end usage scenarios.