Feb 18, 2019
1 min read China Mobile Shanghai and Huawei launch the first 5G digital indoor system at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station (Image credit: Huawei)
Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is working with mobile carriers to construct indoor 5G networks at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Railway Station.
The next-generation wireless networks will be deployed with Huawei’s in-building 5G platform, dubbed Digital Indoor System (DIS). The company claims it is the only commercially-available solution for indoor 5G networks.
The 5G DIS technology, with the company’s in-house chips, can provide connectivity for augmented and virtual reality, positioning and navigation, as well as retail management.
Huawei announced the launch of the 5G network with mobile operator China Mobile. Passengers will have to wait until the end of the year to use the service.
Chinese city governments are racing to be the first to achieve mass deployment of 5G networking services. In January, the government of the southwestern city of Chengdu opened the country’s first 5G-enabled subway station. So far, the governments of both Beijing and Shanghai have announced plans to commercialize 5G in the cities’ central areas.
Also in Shanghai, Huawei has formed an industry-academia partnership with Shanghai Jiaotong University as part of a broader push to “build a Dual-Gigaband City” with enhanced research capabilities.
According to an announcement (in Chinese) by state-owned mobile operator China Mobile on Feb. 3, Huawei was awarded the largest share of a purchase order for the construction of 250 5G base stations in China. Rivals including Ericsson, ZTE, and Nokia followed, with 110, 80, and 30 base stations respectively.