China Unicom Beijing and Huawei Build Commercial 5.5G Network

China Unicom Beijing and Huawei have deployed an ultra-large-scale commercial 5.5G 3CC network in Beijing that covers more than 70% of the area within the city's 4th Ring Road. Coming two years after the launch of its 5G 2CC network in 2022, the deployment of this 5.5G 3CC represents another milestone in China Unicom's carrier aggregation journey.

The operator has achieved comprehensive 5.5G coverage for stadiums, metro stations and tunnels, residential areas, scenic spots, business districts, and universities in key areas within the city's 4th Ring Road and Beijing Municipal Administrative Center.  In the Beijing Action Plan for Promoting 5G-A Technology Evolution and Application Innovation, the Beijing Municipal Communications Administration hammered home the importance of Beijing's role in pioneering 5.5G development.

China Unicom Beijing is striving to do its part, with a large-scale 5.5G network demonstration at the beginning of 2024 followed by the ultra-large-scale commercial 5.5G network deployment of recent months, in helping Beijing become a "dual 10 Gbps" city that sets the bar for network construction, device development, and industry enablement. With the first version of 5.5G standards frozen in June 2024 and more than 20 commercial 5.5G devices now on the market, a mature 5.5G industry ecosystem is taking shape.

Two years ago, in August 2022, China Unicom Beijing and Huawei commercialized the world's largest 3.5 GHz 2CC network, which has brought 200 MHz 2CC coverage to more than 85% of Beijing's urban area while providing comprehensive coverage for Beijing's core areas and the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. In 2023, this was further augmented when China Unicom Beijing and Huawei completed a 2.1 GHz band deployment targeting key urban scenarios. These deployments substantially improved the network experience of users in Beijing while laying a solid foundation for the future evolution to 5.5G, and this year's 5.5G 3CC deployment paves the way for larger-scale 5.5G deployments in the coming years.

The ultra-large commercial 5.5G 3CC network consists of more than 4,000 base stations and covers well-known landmarks in Beijing, such as Wukesong, Capital Indoor Stadium, Workers' Stadium, Beijing Railway Station, Guijie Street, Panjiayuan, and Beijing University of Technology. Featuring 5.5G capabilities, the network provides powerful support for services such as immersive video, UHD live streaming, and cloud gaming. In addition to consumer scenarios, China Unicom Beijing is proactively pursuing innovations in UHD shallow compression encoding, IoT, and XR split rendering, unlocking the full potential of 5.5G networks to enable various industries.

"We have the world's largest 200 MHz 5G network and it makes our 3CC carrier aggregation much easier. 5.5G 3CC coverage will be extended to match that of our current 200 MHz 5G network. With Huawei's advanced technologies and our smart operations, we will provide users with a much better network experience," remarked Yang Lifan, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom Beijing.

"We are honored to mark a groundbreaking milestone in 5.5G network construction with China Unicom Beijing — large-scale commercial 5.5G. We will continue to innovate and provide more efficient, smarter, and greener network solutions, enabling users to enjoy a superior, smooth experience with 5.5G networks," said David Li, President of Huawei Wireless Network 5G<E TDD Product Line.