A coalition of operators including Verizon and Vodafone Group set out to develop interoperable 5G specifications, in a bid to ensure future applications function consistently across the globe.
Working as part of the newly formed 5G Future Forum, Verizon, Vodafone, America Movil, KT, Rogers Communications and Telstra also committed to share best practices for technology deployment and create marketplaces to boost developer and consumer access to 5G products.
Verizon chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg in a statement noted 5G will be a “key enabler of the next global industrial revolution,” deeming it “critical that technology partners around the world unite to create the most seamless global experience for our customers”.
Daniel Hajj, CEO of America Movil, added the collaboration “will create a common platform to enable a global ecosystem of applications to exploit 5G at its full potential”.
The group highlighted machine learning; AR and VR; connected cars; smart cities; and industrial and other IoT applications as use cases which might benefit from its work.
A Verizon representative told Mobile World Live the collaboration is similar to one it undertook with the 5G Technology Forum in 2015, which sought to define parameters for 5G radio specifications in advance of 3GPP standards.