The European Union is teaming up with South Korea for joint research for the next generation of mobile broadband technology, hoping the Asian country’s expertise will help it catch up in a field crucial for economic growth and jobs.
South Korea has one of the fastest mobile broadband networks and is home to Samsung.
Europe had led the competition in GSM technology — the original standard for mobile networks — in the 1990s, but fell behind the US and Asia in the roll out of faster 4G connections.
The EU estimates a high-definition movie could be downloaded in six seconds with 5G, up from six minutes with 4G. “5G will become the new lifeblood of the digital economy and digital society once it is established,” Neelie Kroes, the EU commissioner for telecoms, said in a statement on Monday.
