At a time when India along with most of the world is battling the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese tech player Oppo joined forces with the British telecom operator Vodafone on Monday to boost the adoption of 5G networks globally.
As part of its partnership, Oppo and Vodafone will begin expanding 5G operations via the former's devices on the latter's networks in Spain, Germany, Britain, Portugal, Turkey, Romania, and the Netherlands.
Alen Wu, VP of Oppo’s global sales confirmed the news in statement, saying the Chinese company “looks forward to this long-term win-win relationship with Voldafone”, that aims to ensure a healthy future for 5G networks.
Since the beginning of 2020, Oppo has been trying to establish itself as a leading brand in trying, testing, and developing better technologies to support 5G.
In January 2020, the Chinese handset maker inked a two-year deal with the Hyderabad campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to promote a joint research venture to develop technologies surrounding 5G including fine-tuning camera technology, improving battery performance, and developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) among other technologies.
The parent company of Oppo, BBK Electronics also launched a new sub-brand "iQOO" in India, which entered the Indian market earlier this year with a 5G-enabled phone, despite India’s delay in testing and auctioning 5G networks and spectrum in the country amid the corona crisis.
In the wake of a health emergency which has gripped the country, the Indian government is reportedly planning to postpone its already “delayed 5G trials” until 2021 or later, depending upon how the situation unfolds in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.
On the other hand, earlier in February, US-based tech company VIAVI released a report called "The State of 5G Deployments". The report noted that high-speed 5G networks have already made inroads in 378 cities across 34 countries, with South Korea leading the pack with 85 5G-enabled cities.
With 57, 50, and 31 5G-powered cities, China, the US, and the UK follow South Korea in terms of 5G availability respectively.