Madrid, 9^th December 2015 – Telefónica I+D, the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, the local ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Madrid region, IMDEA Networks, Ericsson and AMETIC (Association of companies within the Electronical, IT, Telecommunications and Digital Content industries) have signed a collaboration agreement with a view to supporting the development of 5G technologies, products, and services in the framework of the Advanced 5G Network Infrastructure for Future Internet Public-Private Partnership (5G PPP) program.

As a part of the program public and private organisations underline their commitment to developing these 5G technologies. This multilateral agreement focuses particularly on the Advanced 5G Network Infrastructure for Future Internet Public-Private Partnership (5G PPP), and European Technology Platform for Communications Networks and Services (ETP Networld 2020) programs, promoted by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 program.

The signatories were as follows: The Spanish Secretary of State for Telecommunications and the Information Society under the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, Víctor María Calvo-Sotelo Ibáñez-Martín, the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport from the local government of Madrid, Rafael van Grieken Salvador, The President of Telefónica I+D, David del Val Latorre, the President of Ericsson Spain, Ingemar Naeve, the Director General of AMETIC, Benigno Lacort, and the Director of IMDEA Networks, Arturo Azcorra Saloña.

In addition to the agreement other initiatives focusing on boosting the development of 5G technologies and the entrepreneurial environment in which they evolve have been launched. This includes the creation of the first 5G laboratory of excellence, 5TONIC, launched by Telefónica last month through its innovation unit Telefónica I+D and IMDEA Networks. The laboratory aims to create an open ecosystem for innovation and research.

Ericsson is a founding member of various initiatives focusing on 5G development on a global level, including the European program 5G PPP (5G Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Association) founded in February 2014. Ericsson is also a member of the METIS Consortium, a project under the EU that aims to lay the foundations for 5G technologies and5G Exchange (5GEx), a newly launched project which is jointly financed by the European Commission with a view to creating a unified European market for 5G infrastructure services that integrates a wide range of operators and technologies.