Though India is yet to officially roll out 5G network services, many telecom giants and phone makers are already paving the way for a smooth transition. Chinese giant Oppo has decided to make India a major hub for 5G innovation. Oppo has today announced that it has set up a 5G Innovation Lab at its Hyderabad R&D center.
This is Oppo’s first-ever overseas innovation hub, outside of China. The lab will not only focus on the development of core 5G technologies but help accelerate its rollout across India – possibly in 2021. Even Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, wants the government to accelerate the 5G spectrum auction and rollout process.
The Indian 5G lab will contribute in advancing the core 5G technologies and hardware for the entire world. They will be leading the “innovation for other countries including Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Japan, and Europe,” as per the press release. Oppo is closely working with industry partners including Airtel, Jio, Qualcomm, and MediaTek among others to offer a reliable 5G experience to smartphone users in India.
“5G development is a key focus area for OPPO and our R&D facility is working round the clock towards strengthening India’s technology base. With this lab setup, while we work towards developing core technologies for the 5G era and strengthen the overall ecosystem, we also aim to support India in its 5G journey,” said Tasleem Arif, Vice President and Head, R&D Oppo India.
Apart from the 5G innovation lab, Oppo aims to set up three more labs “dedicated to camera, power, & battery in order to continue fulfilling its commitment to ground-breaking innovation,” as per the press release. The company did not clearly mention but it seems like the Hyderabad R&D center will soon be a central innovation hub for Oppo.
Phone makers are already selling 5G smartphones in India. While most of them are limited to the mid-range and flagship segment, we can expect MediaTek Dimensity-powered budget 5G phones to roll out in India very soon. Jio is also aiming to launch its 5G network services in the second half of 2021. So yeah, India will soon be one of the few countries to offer super-fast, as well as indigenous, 5G services.
