Shanghai launches 5G trial district

The City of Shanghai has launched 5G trials in the Hongkou district, which also has the distinction of having a gigabit broadband network.

The 5G trial, backed by China Mobile, involves providing full coverage of the district.

During a commencement ceremony for the trial, a 5G video call was placed using the Huawei Mate X foldable 5G smartphone.

The city plans to deploy over 10,000 5G base stations by the end of the year, and over 30,000 by 2021.

As part of the trials, the city also plans to provide support for over 100 companies developing 5G-related application scenarios.

The wide-scale trial follows Huawei’s deployment of trial 5G services at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Railway Station in February.

Other Chinese cities are also investing in taking an early lead with 5G deployments, including Chengdu in the Sichuan province and Wuhan in Central China.

The latter city has deployed a trial 5G network encompassing over 100 5G base stations to explore developments in autonomous vehicles, drones and satellite-based positioning, the report states.