Chinese mobile operator China Unicom announced plans to launch a 5G trial network in seven major cities across the country, local press reported.
The carrier said that the trials will be carried in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou and urban Xiong’an New Area.
The carrier’s chairman, Wang Xiaochu, confirmed at a company event that 5G coverage will be made available in 33 cities across China and the company will also deploy a 5G private network and create 5G application scenarios in several cities.
China Unicom has formed a 5G application alliance bringing together 32 industrial players including automaker Dongfeng Motor, heavy industry manufacturer ZPMC, equipment maker Huawei and internet company Alibaba, according to local press reports.
China Unicom has also signed an agreement with the Shanghai government aimed at improving the city’s fiber optic broadband networks and high-speed mobile communication networks.
Under the terms of the agreement, China Unicom will invest CNY 15 billion ($2.24 billion) in Shanghai by 2021.
The city, which already hosts 500 5G stations, is looking to build itself into a 5G pioneering venue. It aims to construct 10,000 5G base stations by the end of this year and 30,000 by 2021.
Rival operator China Mobile, the largest telecom operator in China, said in December that it plans to start 5G trials in 17 cities in 2019.
Meanwhile, China Telecom had previously announced that it will start trials of 5G applications in 17 cities with the aim of launching commercial 5G services in 2020.
In December, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) had issued nationwide 5G trial licenses to the country’s three mobile operators.
China Unicom said it has been approved to use the 3.5 GHz to 3.6 GHz frequency band for a nationwide 5G trial rollout until June 2020. The telco said that it will gradually cease to use the frequency in the 2.555 GHz to 2.575 GHz range that it had been using for 5G trials and progressively return it to the MIIT.
China Telecom was allowed to use the 3.4 GHz to 3.5 GHz frequency range to carry out 5G trials in mainland China. Under the agreement with the Chinese government, China Telecom will return its 2.635 GHz to 2.655 GHz spectrum over the same timeframe.
Meanwhile, China Mobile, has been approved to use spectrum in the 2.515 GHz to 2.675 GHz and the 4.8 GHz to 4.9 GHz ranges for its nationwide 5G trials. The 2.5-GHz spectrum will include frequencies to be re-farmed from China Mobile’s existing TD-LTE spectrum.
China expects to have pre-commercialized 5G networks within 2019 and large-scale 5G coverage by 2020.
