Russian mobile operator MTS has partnered with Chinese tech giant Huawei for a 5G pilot program in Moscow and Kronshtadt.
The network became operational at the VDNKh (All-Russian Exhibition Center), one of the major attractions in the Russian capital, on Thursday.
Operating on the 28GHz and 4.9GHz frequency bands, Huawei is also testing a so-called "Smart City technology", designed to improve security and urban services management, as well as helping to develop the transport system, according to MTS.
Russia has had 5G pilot programs in the past. For example, mobile network Tele2 went live in the famous Tverskaya Street in Moscow, by partnering with Ericsson. But Huawei's launch is more notable.
This is because Huawei's launch is said to have based on an agreement between China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, at the 2019 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)
2019 has not been a great year for Huawei.
After struggling with Trump's administration that banned it from doing business with U.S.-based companies, certain intelligence agencies started to fear of losing control, and major Western tech companies fear of losing revenue.
And China here, sees Russia as its allies, and are gathering on the same side.
Despite the U.S. government later allowed the company to work out a solution to the problem, Huawei seeks for alternatives to its Western allies.
That meeting at SPIEF 2019 also discussed the potential for Huawei's smartphones to transition to Russian OS Aurora, which had been previously discussed between Huawei and Russia's Minister of Digital Development and Communications.
After Google confirmed that Huawei won't have access to much of Google’s services including the Google Play Store, this forces Huawei to also look for alternatives to Android, and this includes Aurora.
Russia has discussed the use of the OS on 360,000 Huawei tablets by August 2020, and Huawei was more than interested in the project.
It's suggested that the two countries are also planning to begin a Huawei-Russia research and development, as well as manufacturing that include initiative in a "joint production of chips and software."
5G was first piloted in Moscow in 2018, during the World Cup.
MegaFon, which is a Russian network operator, partnered with Nokia 5G to demonstrate VR Broadcasts. With China and Russia collaborating with each other, MegaFon agreed to develop and implement 5G standards in Russia, alongside Huawei.
