The agreement will allow EU and Japan to work towards a common understanding and standards of 5G, identify harmonised radio band frequencies for 5G spectrum and cooperate on future 5G applications in areas like connected cars and e-heath.
"5G will be the backbone of our digital economies and societies worldwide. This is why we strongly support and seek a global consensus and cooperation on 5G," said Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for digital economy and society.
"Our agreement with Japan is a milestone on the road to a global definition of 5G, its service characteristics and standards. It shows that our countries are ready to take leadership in building our digital future.”
Together, they will invest €12 million during the next two years in 5G-related projects to help develop the internet of things, cloud or big data platforms.
In addition, they have also agreed to collaborate on research and innovation as well as set up a joint funding mechanism that will make it easier to finance common R&I projects.
