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Huawei to deploy ultra-fast 5G telecoms network coverage at Shanghai’s railway hub in world first

  • Shanghai’s Hongqiao Railway Station handles more than 60 million passengers every year
  • The station would be the first railway hub in the world to be equipped with 5G coverage, according to Huawei

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The 4pm bullet to Beijing stands ready to depart from platform 1 at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. Photo: SCMP
Li Taoin Shenzhen

Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment supplier, said it will deploy ultra-fast 5G network coverage at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Railway Station by the end of the year, making it the first railway station in the world that will allow passengers to experience data speeds up to 100 times faster than what is currently available.

The station will be built upon the 5G digital indoor system (DIS) co-developed by Huawei and China Mobile’s Shanghai unit, with the aim of achieving comprehensive indoor coverage for the entire premises by the end of 2019, the Shenzhen-based telecoms gear maker said in a release on Monday.

Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station is one of Asia’s biggest traffic hubs in terms of passenger throughput, handling over 60 million passengers every year with more than 330,000 people passing through each day during peak travel periods.

All of China’s major telecoms network operators are now testing 5G equipment across the country, with commercial 5G services expected to be rolled out nationwide in 2020. Many smartphone brands, including Huawei, has announced plans to launch 5G smartphones this year.

Passengers in the waiting hall of the Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai. Photo: ImagineChina
Passengers in the waiting hall of the Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai. Photo: ImagineChina

The deployment announcement comes as Huawei rotating chairman Xu Zhijun said that the biggest demand for the company’s next-generation mobile broadband hardware is in the Middle East and Asia.

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