China Unicom Will Bring 5G-Advanced to Over 300 Cities in 2025
China Unicom Releases 5G-Advanced Action Plan During Asian Winter Games
[Harbin, China, February 14, 2025] China Unicom officially unveiled its 5G-Advanced Action Plan at the Powering the Asian Winter Games with 10 Gbps Connectivity Press Conference in Harbin, which brought together many industry, academia, and media representatives. China Unicom is the official communications and cloud service partner of the 9th Asian Winter Games, and this action plan represents a key step for the carrier on its 5G evolution journey as part of its broader efforts to bring better network experiences to users and facilitate the digital transformation of various industries.
Release of China Unicom’s 5G-Advanced Action Plan
According to the action plan, China Unicom will launch 5G-Advanced services in the central areas of 39 key cities and key locations in over 300 other cities by the end of 2025. It will launch the 5G-Advanced Xinghuo Program and the 5G-Advanced Baichuan Program to promote industry-specific AI applications. China Unicom will also lead in establishing a device ecosystem alliance for converged innovation to deepen collaboration with upstream and downstream partners and jointly build up the 5G-Advanced industry ecosystem. Currently, China Unicom runs more than 2 million 5G base stations, which account for over 40% of the total 5G base stations worldwide, to serve 290 million users.
Wang Limin, China Unicom’s Deputy General Manager, said, “China Unicom is using 5G-Advanced and F5G-Advanced technologies to provide high-speed, intelligent, and secure 10 Gbps communications services for the Asian Winter Games. Based on the action plan, China Unicom will work with various partners to build up the 5G-Advanced industry ecosystem and contribute more to a digital China.”
Cao Ming, Vice President of Huawei and President of Huawei Wireless Solutions, stated that, since the mobile AI era has begun, the continued integration of 5G-Advanced and AI will transform traditional mobile businesses and create enormous opportunities for the mobile industry, shaping new experiences, applications, and services. Huawei will continue to innovate, integrate 5G-Advanced and AI, and work on both Networks for AI and AI for Networks. Regarding Networks for AI, Huawei will optimally utilize spectrum resources and improve network performance and user experiences while reducing network cost per bit. As for AI for Networks, Huawei plans to use digital sites and wireless AI agents to help carriers build Level 4 Autonomous Networks with higher quality and efficiency. “Huawei and China Unicom will work and innovate to support the development of 5G-Advanced and AI.”
As the official partner of the 9th Asian Winter Games, China Unicom is applying a wide range of industry-leading technologies to deliver high-speed, stable, and reliable networks for the event with the support of a 1,000-member network assurance team. China Unicom provides 10 Gbps 5G-Advanced networks for key venues to ensure high-speed and stable network experiences for all athletes, staff, and audiences. This also comprehensively improves the event’s broadcast services by enabling several innovative services, such as multi-channel HD live streaming by the media and KOLs, on-demand HD videos, and VR broadcasting.
This press conference marks a key milestone in China Unicon’s 5G-Advanced R&D and application journey. China Unicon will continue to leverage new advanced technologies to support the success of the 9th Asian Winter Games and accelerate the digital and intelligent transformation of various industries for a smart future.
Through their strategic partnership, China Unicom and Huawei have extensively worked on technological innovation, network construction, and application development to support the development of the 5G-Advanced industry.
In November 2024, China Unicom Beijing and Huawei officially launched the world’s first large-scale integrated 5G-Advanced intelligent network, an ultra-large-scale commercial 5G-Advanced three-component carrier (3CC) network. The network covers Beijing’s central area, the Workers’ Stadium, and the Great Wall scenic area. It supports a range of innovative applications, such as immersive video, UHD shallow compression, and low-altitude tourism. These areas have also showcased the self-provisioning and self-optimization functions of 5G-advanced sites. This shows how 5G-Advanced can become a reality and light the way forward for a bright future.
