7 January 2019, Shenzhen, China - ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, takes the lead in completing IMT-2020 third phase 5G test for core network performance stability and security function, fully verifying the maturity of ZTE’s 5G core network. 
The performance test involves the performance of the NFVI platform, the service performance of 5GC VNFs with single/multi-VM deployment, as well as the system capacity and stability of the whole system.
ZTE’s system, including NFV platform and 5GC core function network elements, is deployed on the general server platform, and interfaces with third party instruments in accordance with the requirement of the service model. The company passes all the test cases, and the test results meet the requirement of the service model and specification indicators.
 The security function test focuses on device identity management as well as the security service procedure during registration and mobility. ZTE’s 5GC successfully passes all the mandatory test cases.
ZTE’s latest version of 5G core network is developed in compliance with 3GPP Release-15 specifications released in September 2018. By adopting SBA, micro-service components and network slicing, ZTE’s 5G core network can achieve flexible and agile service innovation.
By means of the separation of service logic and data, ZTE’s 5G core network can improve service reliability and user experiences. Moreover, it enables the minute-level deployment through flexible service scheduling. 
“It is another significant breakthrough following ZTE’s completion of the SA architecture function test in September 2018,” said Liu Jianhua, general manager of ZTE’s Telecom Cloud and Core Network Products. "ZTE will actively support and cooperate with Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to help the 5G industry grow mature and embrace the arrival of the 5G era.”
Under the guidance of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group initiated the third phase of 5G R&D tests in November 2017, aiming at continuously improving the 5G technological R&D capability and promoting the maturity of the 5G industry. 
In addition to the completion of IMT-2020 third phase 5G core network test, ZTE also completed the world's first end-to-end connection between 5G device and system, based on 3.5 GHz NSA networking, by virtue of ZTE’s 5G prototype smartphones. 
Furthermore, ZTE and China Telecom completed the world's first 4G and 5G network interoperability test under the SA architecture. In collaboration with Tianjin Unicom and Port of Tianjin, ZTE released 5G&MEC smart port industry applications.