The strategy was relayed via the company’s senior vice president Xiao Ming, speaking at the World Broadband Forum in Berlin. During his presentation, Ming highlighting the ‘strong demand’ for targeted investment, as well as the hope for a proliferation of innovative technology, leading to a European 5G strategy.
He said: “In the last few months, the discussion about the digitisation of Germany has intensified and rapidly gained momentum. Leading organisations have pointed out the need for a high-performance broadband infrastructure in particular. This future infrastructure must consist of a gigabit access network made of fibre.”
He continued: “In the European market, the construction of 5G infrastructures is one of the long-term core objectives of ZTE. We are aiming to install the first commercial deployments of 5G by the third quarter of 2018, subsequently achieving comprehensive market maturity by the first quarter of 2019.
“European governments are finally realising that a strong economy needs to be supported by the most powerful digital infrastructure available. We are committed to supporting the construction of wide-coverage gigabit networks by 2025.”
ZTE has been active in Germany since 2005. According to the company, it makes an annual investment 250 million Euros in 5G research and development. It’s upcoming involvement with provider NetCologne will enable gigabit access for up to 450,000 households.
