Brace yourselves for the upcoming 5G technology. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced on Thursday that the  country is researching and testing 5G (or fifth generation) wireless networks, which it aims to launch it by 2020.

According to the proposed timeline, China's research and test will finish two years from now, and the following two years will be dedicated to commercializing the 5G technology.

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"The purpose of the research and test is to support the formulation of global 5G standards and boost the development of telecom industry," head of R&D team Cao Shumin said.

"China has made progress in the research of some key areas regarding 5G technology," Zhang Feng, MIIT chief engineer, said.

In September last year, a key partnership deal, which is described as a "milestone" in the global race to create a 5G network, was signed between the European Union and China. The agreement steers partnership with regard to joint research, standardization, spectrum and the Internet of Things. 

It aimed to create a global consensus of the 5G technology including its concept, functionalities, key technologies and time frame by the end of 2015. The inked arrangement also allows both parties to access to research funding as well as Chinese and European Union 5G associations' membership.

It has been more than three decades since the first mobile network was launched. Then in the 1990s, GSM was introduced, followed by 3G at the turn of the century and LTE in 2010. It is imperative that the mobile network technology undergoes a never ending, continuous process of upgrading and modernizing, in order to provide a better, faster and more efficient tech. 

As a new decade is about to open, 5G, which promises a 20-fold faster data transfer rate compared with the current 4G, is beginning to emerge and is expected to be commercially available by 2020.

With the increasing integration of internet into our daily lives, 5G is likely to become its pillar for further technological advancements. The European Commission predicts mobile Internet traffic will increase 30 times in 2020 compared with that in 2010. Thus, a high speed of mobile network is needed to connect all these devices.

"5G will be the backbone of our digital economies and societies worldwide. This is why we strongly support and seek a global consensus and cooperation on 5G," Commissioner Günther Oettinger said. "If we get 5G right, there won't necessarily be a 6G," Andy Sutton, principal network of architect, said. 

Tagswireless network, European Commission