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Huawei and Sunrise co-build 5G research centre in Switzerland

It is Huawei's first 5G research centre in Europe.
Written by Campbell Kwan, Contributor

Huawei and Swiss telco Sunrise have extended their existing partnership, announcing they have opened a 5G research centre in Switzerland. 

The centre, called the 5G Joint Innovation Center, is Huawei's first 5G research centre in Europe, according to the company.

Based at Sunrise's headquarters in Opfikon, Switzerland, the 5G research centre will be used to research and develop 5G applications for both the private and business sectors in the country, the companies said. 

It will also act as a base for Huawei and Sunrise to build out Switzerland's 5G networks using actual use-cases that the companies said have already been launched or are about to be commercialised. 

Within the 5G research centre, Huawei will separately operate a lab where developers can use a live 5G network to test their applications or solutions using Huawei-made components such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and end devices.

"With the opening of the first 5G Joint Innovation Center in Europe, we as a leading 5G provider are taking another important step. What we have presented today will showcase the huge potential of 5G applications for both the private and business sectors," said Olaf Swantee, CEO of Sunrise.

The 5G Joint Innovation Center is the latest among many instances where the two companies have worked together. Last week, the Chinese equipment provider and the Swiss telco partnered up to achieve a top speed of 3.67Gbps with multiple 5G smartphones during speed tests in Zurich, Switzerland.

The test was conducted over the 100MHz wave spectrum brand and used Sunrise's 5G network.  

Earlier this year, Huawei opened a 5G research lab in South Korea, which it claimed was the "world's first 5G Open Lab".

Huawei's telco equipment is currently banned in the US, Australia, and Japan, with the countries citing that the company is likely to conduct espionage or be subject to extrajudicial directions from China as the reasons behind the bans. 

Despite these security concerns, Huawei's telco equipment has continued to be used in Europe. Switzerland was the first country in Europe to roll out its 5G networks, with Sunrise using Huawei's telco equipment to build out its 5G networks. 

Meanwhile in the UK, all major telcos in the country are using Huawei's 5G equipment for their rollouts. This is despite the UK government not yet making a decision on whether Huawei equipment can be used in the UK's 5G network.

Sunrise currently has the largest 5G network in Switzerland, covering more than 262 towns and cities with 5G. 

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