The University of Oulu’s research unit The Centre for Wireless Communications (CWC) in Finland has been selected to develop and demonstrate 5G mobile technologies for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

CWC will work to develop the required 5G radio solutions and integrate them as part of a functioning mobile network, it said in a statement.

The Korean 5G project is the first 5G technology pilot financed by the European Union, and is part of the collaboration between EU’s H2020 programme and the Korean government in 5G technologies. In addition to the University of Oulu, the other partners include operators, vendors and research institutes from Germany, France, Belgium and Korea. The Korean government will finance the Korean participants’ costs.

The project is a continuation of the 5G Test Network project at the University of Oulu that had developed radio technologies and business models.

Professor Matti Latva-aho, who is directing the 5G research at the university, said it has managed to invest in the right kind of know-how and research infrastructure early enough to make this project possible. “For this the credit goes to the local industry, Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), and the European Regional Development Fund,” he said.

South Korea’s leading mobile players — SKT and KT – have said they will conduct a series of supposed 5G trials over the next couple of years, with 5G services expected to be partially available during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. 5G services are expected to be deployed nationwide in South Korea by 2020.