Under the umbrella of Mitel’s newly-formed 5G Cloud Connectivity initiative announced in February, Mitel, a world-leader in network function virtualization (NFV) mobile solutions, will contribute software and mobile network expertise to the project.

DragonWave Inc. (TSX:DWI)(NASDAQ:DRWI) and Mitel (TSX:MNW)(NASDAQ:MITL) today announced a joint initiative focused on advancing the development of 5G networking.

Under the umbrella of Mitel’s newly-formed 5G Cloud Connectivity initiative announced in February, Mitel, a world-leader in network function virtualization (NFV) mobile solutions, will contribute software and mobile network expertise to the project. DragonWave will contribute all outdoor networking expertise combined with small cell-focused and high-capacity, spectrally-efficient packet wireless backhaul solutions.

“Enabling increased coverage in both dense urban and rural environments while supporting the thrust for virtualization drives the need for new relationships,” said Peter Allen, President and CEO, DragonWave. “We are pleased to work closely with Mitel who has both scale and a common customer base. We share a focus to bring innovative solutions to the 5G mobile market.”

“5G opens the door to a fundamental new way to architect mobile networks, including increased integration between access and backhaul components and smaller cell sizes, where an integrated solution becomes more critical,” said Pardeep Kohli, President of 5G Cloud Connectivity, Mitel. “This collaboration enables an integrated 5G solution set that will be easier to deploy, optimize and maintain.”

The relationship will initially focus on technology and research in support of compatible 5G solutions, with the option to evolve commercially as the 5G market matures and business opportunities develop.