(Yicai Global) Dec. 6 -- Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus will cooperate with EE, the UK's largest mobile network operator, to introduce the first 5G mobile phone in Europe next year.

The partners will cooperate on research and development to ensure the best possible 5G connected experience for customers, Shenzhen-based OnePlus said yesterday during the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit 2018 in Hawaii.

EE, a subsidiary of BT Group, will introduce 5G in 16 UK cities in 2019, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester, one year ahead of European neighbors.

"EE and OnePlus have a shared vision: to give our customers the best connected experience possible. We're working together on cutting edge technology to deliver that, and we're leading the world on the journey to 5G," said Marc Allera, chief executive of BT's consumer division.

"Adding 5G to the UK's No. 1 4G network will increase reliability and speed, and keep our customers connected where they need it most," he added. "We have an ambition to connect our customers to 4G, 5G or Wi-Fi 100% of the time."

Speaking on the occasion, Pete Lau, chief executive and founder of OnePlus, said: "OnePlus has poured efforts into 5G research since 2016. Today, we stand poised to embrace the dawn of 5G."

OnePlus reached a cooperation agreement with US operator T-Mobile at the end of October to sell OnePlus 6T models in over 5,600 T-Mobile stores across the United States. The Chinese cellphone maker also announced in October plans to sell the model in outlets of O2, EE, Vodafone and other European operators.

Lau revealed at the summit that OnePlus will release its next-generation flagship model next year. It is equipped with the latest Snapdragon 855 chip, which is designed for Gigabit-class 5G networks.