On September 25, the "2nd 5G-A 10Gbps Network Industry Forum" was held in Beijing. During the forum, Li Hui, Chief Engineer of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, delivered a keynote speech titled "Anchoring the New 5G-A Track and Empowering the High-Quality Development of the Digital Economy with Benchmark Practices".
He pointed out that this year marks the sixth year of commercialization of China's 5G industry, and Beijing has achieved remarkable results in network deployment, user development, consumer services, and integrated applications. With the continuous improvement of scientific and technological capabilities and the steady expansion of industrial scale, the development of mobile communication networks has entered a critical stage of generational evolution. Compared with 5G, 5G-A boasts more outstanding network performance. As a key phase in the evolution from 5G to 6G, 5G-A enables the early incubation and cultivation of the 6G application ecosystem during the 5G era, accumulates capabilities for 6G development, and effectively supports the scaled growth and innovative advancement of digital applications.
Beijing has taken the lead in laying out the new development track of 5G-A in China, proactively advancing 5G-A network deployment, technological research, standard formulation, and product development. It has leveraged policy guidance to establish a top-level design for 5G-A development, solidifying the foundation for industrial upgrading. In early 2024, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Beijing Municipal Communications Administration jointly issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for Promoting 5G-A Technology Evolution and Application Innovation in Beijing", making it the first policy document in China to drive the evolution and upgrading of mobile communication networks to 5G-A 10Gbps networks. This year, the "Upgraded Plan for the 'Sailing Action' of Large-Scale 5G Applications in Beijing" was released, which clearly states the goals of enriching terminal types and product forms, building a local 5G-A industrial chain, supporting the implementation of application scenarios through network upgrading and technological innovation, and comprehensively creating benchmark practices for 5G-A. In terms of network deployment, Beijing has built over 17,000 5G-A base stations and completed the upgrading of 65,000 5G lightweight base stations. Full 5G-A signal coverage has been achieved in key areas such as major roads within the Fifth Ring Road, the Financial Street area, the CBD, and the entire sub-center of the city.
In terms of technological exploration, Beijing has actively organized scientific research institutions to participate in major projects, continuously strengthened the exploration of mobile network technologies, and vigorously promoted the evolution of 5G-A technology towards 6G. In November 2024, Beijing launched the construction of the Beijing 6G Laboratory. The research outcomes of this laboratory will meet the personalized mobile network demands of various applications in the 5G-A and 6G eras.
In terms of expanding application scenarios, Beijing's 5G-A networks have accelerated integration with industries such as manufacturing, cultural tourism, and consumption, leading to the implementation of a number of benchmark projects. For instance, the Beijing Yizhuang 5G-A High-Level Internet of Vehicles (IoV) Premium Demonstration Zone has combined 5G-A with AI, realizing the large-scale deployment of L4-level autonomous logistics vehicles. The Beijing Rural Live Streaming Industrial Park in Pinggu District has taken the lead in piloting the integrated application of dual 10Gbps networks (5G-A and F5G-A). It has successfully achieved F5G-A 10Gbps optical network access and full 5G-A coverage across its 420-mu (approximately 280,000 square meters) area. This has effectively supported diverse business scenarios such as outdoor ultra-high-definition (UHD) live streaming, high-definition video playback, and cloud gaming, bringing users a smoother and more immersive live streaming experience.