With the first 5G networks less than two years away, debate continues to rage about the exact nature of the technology and what it should and should not do.

A senior Deutsche Telekom executive has claimed that the forthcoming 3GPP Release 16 was “make or break for 5G”, as he urged the industry to make 5G standards more innovative in its approach.

Telecoms' biggest vendors were in the firing line at 5G World, with a senior Deutsche Telekom executive accusing them of hindering innovation and calling for "radical change" in the infrastructure model.

Telekom Romania and Ericsson are claiming the first 5G trial in south-eastern Europe after demonstrating speeds of 24GBps in connecting robots and moving vehicles in Bucharest.

EE has used millimetre wave backhaul to connect one of its air-masts, which the mobile operator hopes to use to connect areas in emergency situations.

Turkcell has pushed forward with its 5G plans in a live FDD Massive MIMO test that it claims boosted throughput fivefold compared to traditional LTE configurations.

An Ericsson-led telco consortium has been backed by the European Union to develop 5G architecture for connected cars.

Belgium's BASE is to research Internet of Things, LTE-Advanced and 5G technologies after signing a partnership agreement with ZTE.

Healthcare is routinely listed among the major industries that will be transformed by 5G, but scepticism abides among the health sector about whether it will happen in practice.

MegaFon is claiming an all-time mobile speed record for Russia, hitting 35GBps in trials with Huawei.

Telekom Austria Group's Slovenian subsidiary has hit speeds of 850MBps, in what it described as a "successful" step on the road to 5G.

Increasing certainty around what 5G will look like has made 2017 a turning point for small cell investment, according to BT’s Director of Converged Networks, Research and Innovation.

Finnish regulator FICORA has issued 13 radio licences in just over eight weeks as it looks to stimulate experimentation in 5G about new use cases and technology.

Ericsson has claimed a first in demonstrating network slicing technology across several slices on the same device in a showcase with NTT DOCOMO.

Hi3G Scandinavia is to upgrade its radio and transmission network in Denmark and Sweden as it looks to get ready for 5G.

Turkcell has signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei as it looks to double down on developing 4.5G and 5G technologies with the Chinese vendor.

Nokia has embarked on its latest 5G trial, teaming up with Japanese operator KDDI to test how 28GHz spectrum can deliver high speeds in built up areas.

Samsung and Cisco have held the "first multi-vendor" end-to-end trial of 5G with Verizon.

The race to be first with 5G networks could ultimately damage the technology's potential and applications, the Group CTO of Telefónica has claimed.

A botched approach to 5G by the European Union would damage the economy and society, the GSMA and European Telecommunications Network Operators association has warned.