In the 5G era, Chinese manufacturers are set to play a more significant role on the global stage. As the first mobile communication standard developed collaboratively by China and the world, 5G has given China’s industry a rare chance to achieve breakthroughs and leapfrog from a deeper level. This marks a turning point in the country's technological development and global influence.
By the end of 2017, the first version of the NSA (Non-Standalone) standard under 3GPP was finalized, marking a major step toward the establishment and operation of a commercial 5G network. Today, the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Team in China held its third phase of 5G technology R&D pilot conference in Beijing, releasing the first batch of specifications for this phase. Through these tests, it is expected that the key links in the 5G supply chain will reach pre-commercial levels by the end of 2018, accelerating the development and deployment of 5G technology. This phase represents a crucial milestone before full commercialization.
Spreadtrum, a leading player in the 5G landscape, has been actively preparing for this transformation. Wang Yanhui, secretary of the China Mobile Alliance, highlighted that as the mobile industry has grown, so too has the ecosystem, including integrated circuits. Companies like Spreadtrum have emerged as key players. The company has made 5G R&D a core strategic priority, investing heavily in both human resources and funding. With strong support from Ziguang, Spreadtrum has formed a dedicated 5G product team, aiming to align with national strategies and position itself as a top-tier communication company globally.
Unlike previous generations, China now holds a prominent position in 5G standards, commercialization, and chip development. To break through existing monopolies and ensure autonomy, patent layout has become critical. Spreadtrum began pre-research on 5G core technologies as early as 2015, while its standardization team worked to deeply understand and interpret all aspects of the standard, providing solid support for prototype and chip development.
In addition to internal efforts, Spreadtrum has collaborated closely with domestic universities and research institutions. These partnerships include sharing patents, advancing standardization, and conducting joint research projects, which have significantly expanded Spreadtrum’s intellectual property portfolio.
Beyond patents, Spreadtrum’s 5G team broke traditional norms by developing terminal prototypes and chips simultaneously with standardization. They completed air interface testing with base station equipment and passed two stages of 5G field trials. Their chip development also kept pace, with a floating-point simulation platform launched just one month after the NSA standard was finalized. The company also finalized the terminal chip architecture according to 3GPP requirements and provided initial evaluations on key metrics like power consumption and area.
On January 16, the IMT-2020 team released the first batch of specifications for the third phase of 5G R&D. Spreadtrum followed closely, using its PilotV2 prototype and chip to meet technical requirements, completing key technology verification and interoperability testing. A chip-level verification platform was used to evaluate 5G terminal solutions, and the first chip supporting the 3GPP R15 standard was launched as planned.
Looking ahead, Spreadtrum aims to be a top-tier player in the 5G market. In 2018, it participated in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s 5G field tests, leveraging early prototype platforms and later chip reference designs. By the end of 2018, the company planned to launch its first 5G chip supporting the R15 standard.
The 5G opportunity is immense. According to forecasts by the China Institute of Information and Communications Technology, by 2030, 5G could drive direct economic output of 6.3 trillion yuan, contribute 2.9 trillion yuan to economic growth, and create 8 million jobs. Indirectly, it could generate 10.6 trillion yuan in total output, 3.6 trillion yuan in economic growth, and 11.5 million jobs.
However, challenges remain. One of the biggest hurdles is the flexibility of the 5G standard, which allows for numerous physical layer configurations. This creates an almost “unbounded†range of possibilities, making it complex for chip developers. To address this, Spreadtrum has built in sufficient software processing capabilities and worked closely with industry partners to define reasonable specifications.
In the smartphone market, which is growing more slowly, 5G offers new potential. Spreadtrum believes the market isn’t in a downturn but rather entering a plateau after rapid growth. New applications, especially in AI, AR/VR, and high-resolution video, will drive future demand. With government support, 5G is expected to bring significant changes to the smartphone industry. However, improving battery life and adapting to 5G’s flexibility remain key design challenges.
As the third phase of trials progresses, officials emphasized the need to follow international standards, accelerate pre-commercial equipment development, build a complete industry ecosystem, and synchronize 5G frequency planning. These steps will help shape the future of 5G and open up new markets beyond smartphones, including industrial internet, smart manufacturing, autonomous vehicles, drones, and cloud services.
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