ZTE launches world's first 5G-ready smartphone at MWC’17

Chinese telecom company ZTE unveiled what it said is the world's first smartphone compatible with the lightening-fast 5G mobile Internet service called the ‘Gigabit phone’ at MWC on Sunday.

According to the company, the smartphone is capable of download speeds reaching up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps)—up to 10 times faster than the first generation of 4G services widely in use today.

"With the new device, the way people stay connected will be changed forever. Focusing on 5G technologies will be one of the key priorities of ZTE's global development," a ZTE spokesman said.

In addition, the company claims that the Gigabit phone will also be capable of capturing 360-degree VR panoramic videos, provide unlimited cloud storage, and instant apps — the technology which enables access to apps without the need for download or installation.

5G technology has been under development for quite some time now but the devices still haven’t started adapting to the new tech. Many tech companies have successfully conducted closed 5G trials across various parts of the world including Qualcomm that unveiled the world’s first LTE-capable chip last year.

To deliver the ultra-high-speeds, ZTE will be making use of the latest and greatest Snapdragon 835 processor which comes packed with the latest X16 modem. The phone will be able to achieve 1 Gbps download speeds with support from the chip and carrier aggregation. It means that the phone will bundle together 4G bands to leverage their strength. But, it’ll be topped off by ZTE’s own Pre-5G Giga+ MBB technology that is three times powerful at improving data processing capability in the current network.

South Korean carrier KT Corp aims to offer trial 5G services during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The first large-scale commercial deployment of the technology is expected in 2020.