Taiyuan showcases 5G tech to the public

A 5G experience event was held in Taiyuan on April 11, allowing visitors the chance to get to grips with ultra-high definition streaming, high-speed network connections and real-time virtual reality transmission.

The event was held by the Shanxi branch of China Unicom and information technology giant Huawei.

Yuan Xiaoshen, an online movie enthusiast, was among the excited visitors during the event.

"It's amazing that it takes less than 10 seconds to download a high-definition movie of one gigabyte. That's the amazing speed of 5G," Yuan said.

The event was held two days after the government of Shanxi announced the latest developments in the commercialization of 5G technologies.

At a news conference on April 9, Zhang Zhanxiang, deputy chief and spokesman of the Shanxi Department of Industry and Information Technology, told the media the province has recently achieved breakthroughs in the 5G communications industry.

According to Zhang, more than 3,800 5G base stations have been built and operational in Shanxi as of the end of March. All 11 prefecture-level cities in the province have drafted their 5G network development plans.

In addition, 5G networks deployed by the three major telecom operators－China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom－cover all major urban areas in the 11 cities.

While residents pin their hopes on 5G changing their lives, local market players and industrial officials are more optimistic about 5G applications in industries.

"While the 5G infrastructure is in place, we will shift our focus to industrialized use of the new technologies," said Wu Jin, chief of the Shanxi Communications Administration Bureau.

The official cited the example of Huozhou Coal Electricity Group, which is currently promoting the use of 5G technologies to manage its coal mines and other production sites.

The group based in Huozhou, Shanxi province, signed a cooperation agreement with China Unicom to explore 5G applications, including artificial intelligence, big data and augmented reality, in coal and electricity production.

In May 2019, the group launched its first smart mine and equipment inspection and monitoring system at its Pangpangta Mine, with the help of China Unicom, marking the beginning of its large-scale application of 5G in its production.

"The system can greatly improve safety and efficiency at our mines and production sites through such technologies as remote sensing, remote diagnoses and real-time data transmission and processing," said Yan Lila, an executive at Pangpangta Mine.

He added the smart system can be upgraded to cover more functions in the future, including smart transportation, smart ventilation and other remotely controlled operations.

Wu from the Shanxi Communications Administration Bureau cited 5G applications in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic.

One example is a 5G thermal imaging system used to monitor body temperatures in crowded public venues.

Wu said 5G technologies will be widely used in such fields as manufacturing, transportation, power transmission, healthcare and education.

"The broader applications of 5G demand closer collaborations among industrial players, telecom operators and equipment providers," he said.