The cooperation agreement will seek to stop 5G international development being siloed, enhance frequency bands and global interoperability standards for 5G.
“International agreements are complementary to our efforts to deploy the technology in the EU and the work we are starting today to prepare a 5G action plan for the EU,” said Günther H. Oettinger, head of the EU’s digital economy and society.
Developing 5G and boosting global connectivity are paramount to the EU’s 5G plan and vice president Ansip, responsible for the Digital Single Market, added it was about: “Creating the right conditions for the technology to be deployed across borders. Spectrum coordination is essential to make 5G happen.”
The European Commission will also seek to develop a global definition of 5G, define common standards, and take a look at which services should be delivered first by 5G networks.
Brazil and the EU will cooperate in identifying the most promising radio frequencies to meet additional spectrum requirements for 5G, especially in the framework of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). A final decision on the availability of frequency bands for 5G will be made in 2019.
Earlier this month, the Commission presented a proposal to coordinate the use of the 700MHz band for mobile services and enable operators to provide mobile broadband speeds beyond 100Mbps.
Autumn 2016 will see additional steps to coordinate spectrum in the EU as part of the forthcoming EU telecoms rules review.
Further cooperation agreements are currently in discussions with India and the US.
By 2020, the EU is aiming to invest €700 million in 5G research and innovation.
