Oppo is one step closer to launching a commercial 5G smartphone, as the Chinese smartphone vendor announced big progress on that front Tuesday.

The Guangdong-based company said it has successfully completed the connection of 5G signaling and data links based on commercial mobile phones, making it the first Chinese smartphone vendor to accomplish this.

The connection is conducted on a pre-commercially available 5G smartphone developed on the basis of Oppo R15. The handset is enabled by the Qualcomm Inc's Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The test validates crucial technologies that can be used to accelerate the development of 5G smartphones.

Liu Chang, president of the research institute at Oppo, said: "The connection of telecom signal and data links is prerequisite for reliable communication on 5G mobile phones. The test will promote the maturity of 5G smartphones, and lays down a solid foundation for us to release fully commercial 5G products in 2019." 

Earlier this year, Oppo had officially announced a partnership with Qualcomm for 5G solutions. Its R&D department has been busy for the past few years experimenting with tech such as triple cameras, AI and other cutting-edge technologies. 

Shen Yiren, assistant vice-president at Oppo, said the company is likely to be the first manufacturer to mass-produce a 5G smartphone in 2019.