China Unicom and China Telecom have confirmed plans to cooperate on building a national 5G network. They plan to co-build one 5G access network nationwide, with each operator taking responsibility for construction in certain regions. The cooperation is expected to accelerate the roll-out of 5G services and reduce costs.
The company responsible for the construction in a designated region will bear the relevant investment, maintenance and operating cost of the network. The other operator will be able to share the access network and 5G spectrum resources, while retaining its own core network.
The operators said they will jointly ensure a unified standard on network planning, construction, maintenance and service in the 5G network co-build regions, and assure the same service level. The deal does not rule out cooperating with a third party, as long as this does not harm the interests of the other operator. The subscriber ownership will remain unchanged while independent branding and business operation will be maintained for each party.
Under the agreement, China Unicom will have a larger role in the large northern cities and China Unicom in the southern cities.
