It should be no surprise that Sony is interested in getting into 5G with the next version of Xperia smartphone since the company has been involved in the creation and possibilities of the next-generation wireless technology since 2016.

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) has confirmed to T3 that it plans to introduce a 5G Xperia to take on the anticipated Samsung Corp. Galaxy G10 5G (expected March 2019).

Sony has been involved in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) specification, and exploring 5G applications since 2016. (See Sony Investigating 5G: Wait, What, Sony? and 3GPP Completes Initial 5G NR Specification.)

The first phase of mobile 5G is expected to focus on enhanced mobile broadband -- as well as fixed wireless access, with anticipated download speeds reported by carriers of anything from 1-Gbit/s to around 200-Mbit/s, a.k.a. ten times (and up) from today's 4G networks.

Sony is hoping 5G will help to revitalize its smartphone brand in the US and beyond. (See Gigabit LTE Takes to the Air.)

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading