https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/05/nokia-to-build-and-test-5g-apps-in-china-with-tencent-leveraging-1b-wechat-and-qq-users/

The world is still years away from wide-scale 5G networks — which proponents say will bring a new generation of services connecting people and objects in the Internet of Things — but those hoping to have a role in that economy are getting themselves in place now to capitalise on them for when they do arrive. Today comes the latest development on that front: Nokia and internet giant Tencent announced that they will work together on 5G R&D and applications, including leveraging Tencent’s billions of users — among other things, it owns messaging networks WeChat and QQ, which alone account for over 1 billion users — to test and roll out its services.

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed but we have contacted Nokia to see if it can provide more detail. The two note in their announcement that the deal will include a lab in Shenzhen, and that apps will be created targeting sectors including transportation, finance, energy, intelligent manufacturing and entertainment. Technologies that will tested include Edge Computing, “Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything” and delivering cloud-based gaming and entertainment — areas that touch on what many think will define the next generation of hardware (connected cars) and architecture (cloud-based services becoming even more ubiquitous and therefore straining networks further).