In 2009 Sweden's TeliaSonera was the first to deploy a commercial 4G network, and it wants that same honor for 5G. Ericsson and TeliaSonera are developing some 5G use cases based on TeliaSonera's network and Ericsson’s 5G technology, and they aim to offer some 5G services for TeliaSonera customers to test in Stockholm and in Tallinn, Estonia, by 2018.

According to Hans Vestberg, CEO of Ericsson, the vendor helped TeliaSonera launch the 4G network in 2009.

5G is designed to be the industrial Internet, says Vestberg in a statement. Some potential 5G services cited by the partners include e-health with real-time surveillance of patients and remote treatment; connected cars, including communication between vehicles; as well as better network performance in terms of capacity and coverage.

A 2018 timeline is aggressive for 5G. The only other operator shooting for 5G services so soon is SK Telecom, and that’s because it wants to show off its high-tech prowess for the Winter Olympics in 2018.

Earlier this week, Deutsche Telekom said it had joined eight projects of the EU 5G Public Private Partnership initiative (5G PPP) composed of industry manufacturers, service providers, and researchers.

On Verizon's fourth-quarter 2015 earnings call yesterday, CFO Francis Shammo said, "We will be the first company to roll 5G out in the United States, and we are currently preparing for those field trials. The other thing I would say about 5G is we would hope that the FCC moves quickly to adopt the rules to facilitate 5G deployment."