EU, Brazil to work together on 5G mobile technology

The European Union and Brazil signed an agreement to develop 5G, the next generation of communication networks, the European Commission said in a press release on Tuesday.

The Commission also started work on an action plan to deploy the technology in the EU by 2020.

By 2020, there would be 26 billion connected devices and 70 percent of people will own a smartphone. 5G would be the backbone of the EU Digital Single Market, industries of the future, modern public services and innovative applications such as connected cars, smart homes or mobile health services, said the press release.

To face this global challenge, the EU joined forces with Brazil to strengthen cooperation in this strategic area and to make sure that 5G does not develop in silos at the international level.

The EU and Brazil committed to developing a global definition of 5G and to identifying the services which should be the first delivered by 5G networks.

The two partners would also work to define common standards in order to have a stronger position on the global stage.

They would cooperate in identifying the most promising radio frequencies to meet the additional spectrum requirements for 5G, especially in the framework of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

In addition, they would promote the deployment of 5G in fields like smart cities, agro-food, education, health, transport or energy as well as possibilities for joint research projects in this area.

European Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society Gunther H. Oettinger and Brazilian Minister of Communications Andre Figueiredo signed the joint declaration at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

This agreement followed similar key cooperation initiatives with South Korea, Japan and China, according to the press release.

The EU is also discussing cooperation agreements with India and the United States. Endit