Brings together Lenovo, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, ZTE and Wingtech to help advance reality of commercial availability of standard-compliant 5G New Radio (NR) devices expected in 2019

Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc., held the 2018 Qualcomm China Tech Day in Beijing. At the event, Qualcomm Technologies and leading Chinese manufacturers expressed interest in working together in an initiative to support China's smartphone industry for the global opportunities that will be made available by 5G and introduce 5G New Radio (NR) standard-compliant commercial devices expected as early as 2019, announced as the "5G Pioneer" Initiative.

Representatives from Lenovo Group Ltd., Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp. Ltd, vivo Communication Technology Co. Ltd, Xiaomi Communications Co. Ltd, ZTE Corp. and Wingtech Technology Co. Ltd, joined Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon on stage to give support to working together on this initiative. These companies aim to accelerate the availability of commercial 5G premium tier devices expected in 2019.

Chinese mobile users are showing unprecedented interest in 5G. In fact, the recent 5G Consumer Survey conducted by Qualcomm Technologies shows that 60% of Chinese consumers are likely to purchase 5G smartphones when available. According to Counterpoint Research, in 2017, seven of the top 10 global 3G/4G smartphone manufacturers were from China. There has been great momentum in innovation and development within the Chinese mobile industry, and the onset of 5G is set to further change the global mobile landscape.

Through the “5G Pioneer” Initiative, in addition to deep expertise and leadership in semiconductor solutions, Qualcomm Technologies anticipates being able to provide Chinese manufacturers with the platform they need to develop premium tier and global 5G commercial devices.

Qualcomm Technologies, together with leading Chinese manufacturers, is not only exploring new mobile applications and experiences enabled by 5G, but also focusing on other transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to continue to drive technological evolution and industry transformation worldwide.