Huawei reveals 5G-ready modem

Huawei has revealed the next stage of its journey towards 5G with the announcement of its first 5G-ready modem.

The company unveiled the Balong 5G01, its first 5G-ready modem, during its Mobile World Congress launch event in Barcelona today, as part of a move to roll out its first 5G commercialised deployment by the end of 2018.

Huawei CEO Richard Yu said that the company is currently working with more than thirty of the world’s biggest carriers to further its 5G research, including BT, EE and Vodafone in the UK.

Leap forward

To support this research, part of the $600 million Huawei said it has spent on 5G research so far, the company also unveiled a 5G CPE sporting dual 4G/5G connectivity, bringing the reality of speedier networks closer than ever.

Huawei says that the CPE device and has already shown download speeds of up to 2Gbps – 20 times that of 100Mbps fibre networks. The device is available in both indoor and outdoor variants, which could also mean a further push into IoT and smart cities development for Huawei soon.

“5G technology will underpin the next leap forward for our intelligent world, where people, vehicles, homes and devices are fully connected, delivering new experiences, insights and capabilities,” Yu said.

“From connected vehicles and smart homes to AR/VR and hologram videos, we are committed to developing a mature 5G ecosystem so that consumers can benefit from a truly connected world that transforms the way we communicate and share.”

Want to find out more about 5G? Check out our dedicated 5G hub!  

MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2018 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone.