Qualcomm teamed with the Russian mobile industry to test and deploy a 5G mmWave network in Moscow later this year, which it claimed would be the first in Europe.

In a statement, the US chip giant said it was working with the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow, Russian mobile operators, equipment and software vendors on the deployment on n257, which covers the 28GHz band.

City services
The Moscow project involves testing and launching a wide range of new applications, from improved fixed wireless access for private users through to business solutions.

So far the bulk of interest in mmWave spectrum for 5G has come from US operators. The band offers high capacity and data rates, but coverage is limited compared to the mid-band spectrum operators outside the US are typically using.

The Moscow project aims to kick-start a range of 5G-enabled digital services and innovations in the city, including VR and AR applications.

Qualcomm said the Department of Information Technologies of Moscow wants to help propel Russia’s communications industry into becoming a leading technology centre.

Yulia Klebanova, VP of business development at Qualcomm Europe, said it was working with players in the industry to “bring 5G mmWave technology to a wide range of devices, from smartphones to fixed wireless access points, which will be essential to the city achieving its goal”.

Moscow is set to be the first Russian city to deploy “fully-fledged 5G pilot zones”, added Eduard Lysenko, head of IT department of Moscow. Launches are planned for the autumn and he believes the city holds the edge over rival cities in terms of future development because of government backing.

“In many of the world’s megacities, the deployment of 5G networks is restricted by mobile operators’ business needs and their access to the spectrum frequencies needed. In our case, spectrum access has been resolved at state level to accelerate the rollout of high capacity 5G mmWave.”