BEIJING/GUANGZHOU -- China's Huawei Technologies unveiled the world's first 5G modem and compatible smartphone Thursday as it seeks to expand market share by getting a jump on U.S. rivals and becoming more self-sufficient.
The Balong 5000 features download speeds that are 10 times faster than the current 4G standard and twice as fast as competitive products from American chipmaker Qualcomm. The multimode chipset also supports 2G, 3G and 4G, unlike Qualcomm's 5G modem. The 5G CPE Pro smartphone, which runs on the Balong 5000, is set to begin sales in China and elsewhere in the April-June quarter.
