(File photo: VCG)

China Mobile and ZTE have conducted the first 5G phone call in China on Monday, which means the trillion-yuan-level industry has reached a new level. It is expected that terminals will be commercially available in the second half of 2019.

Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two major cities in Guangdong Province, have participated in the 5G trial. The first 5G phone call was made in Guangzhou. Earlier, Guangzhou set up China’s first 5G base station for testing.

In December 2017, 3GPP drafted the first set of 5G NR specifications, namely the 3GPP Release 15. Base station, core network and testing terminals in Guangdong are all based on the latest standard.

The launching of commercial 5G phones depends on the 5G standardization. Liu Duo, director of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, stated the final standardized first set of 5G specifications will come out in June, followed by its commercialization in 2020. She expected real 5G mobile terminals will become relatively mature in the second half of 2019. 

Huang Yuhong, vice director of China Mobile Labs, said chips for commercial 5G terminals are expected to be issued in the first half of 2018.

During the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona in February 2018, Chinese company Huawei issued the world’s first commercial 5G chip based on the 3GPP Release 15. 

Yu Chengdong, Huawei’s CEO of the Consumer Business Group, said 5G smart phones will be commercially launched in the fourth quarter of 2019.

(Compiled by Liu Xiaochi)