Oppo intention its first overseas 5G innovation lab in Hyderabad as 5G picks up steam in India
By: Arun Prajapati
Tags: Oppo, Trends, Newsletter, Brand Strategy, Mobile

Oppo intention its first overseas 5G innovation lab in Hyderabad as 5G picks up steam in India

Arun prajaptaiDecember 23, 2020

Oppo has announced it has set up its first 5G innovation lab outside of China in India. The new 5G lab in India comes months after the government issued a blanket ban on several entities with linkage to China and at the time when the government has announced it is ramping up its efforts to bring 5G to India. At the India Mobile Congress held recently, Reliance Jio became the first telecom company in India to announce 5G services that will begin sometime in the second half of 2021. Oppo's new investment into India's R&D sector will give a boost to 5G efforts.

"This is Oppo's first 5G lab overseas. With this lab setup, while we work towards developing core technologies for the 5G era and strengthen the overall ecosystem, we also aim to support India in its 5G journey," Oppo India Vice President and Head for Research and Development, Tasleem Arif said in a statement. The Oppo 5G innovation lab has been set-up in Hyderabad. This is the second such lab that Oppo has built catering to technologies that the emerging 5G network uses and can provide, the first one is in China.

Oppo has said that it plans to install more functional labs that will specialise in research and development in the fields of camera, power and battery, and performance of a smartphone. These labs will be set-up in Hyderabad to facilitate the innovation work at the research and development centre. This new facility is touted to bring technologies that will "mark a global footprint" while promising the company's vision of making India an innovation hub. This is in line with the company's efforts to scale up manufacturing of its smartphones and the development of technologies for Indian customers, as well as the global ones.

The Oppo 5G innovation lab in India will be responsible for innovations and R&D for other markets, including the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Japan and Europe, according to the company. The company has, however, not said what or how these technologies will come through. Oppo has developed some features inside the ColorOS that keep Indian customers in mind, for example, the integration of Digi Locker and the rider mode. The 5G technologies, whatever they may be, might also have some customisations done in accordance with the demands of the Indian user base. These same technologies could be exported to other markets.

Although several countries in the world have 5G now, India is unlikely to get it until the second half of 2021. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said earlier this month that Reliance Jio will begin piloting 5G services in next year, stressing on the government's efforts to kickstart the wave of 5G. While the telecom sector is preparing already for 5G, the smartphone companies, which are an important cogwheel in the machinery have never been shy of their portfolio. Much before the chatter around 5G began in India, Realme became the first brand to launch a 5G phone in India back in February. Oppo too launched the Find X2 smartphone with 5G support.