China Unicom, one of the largest telecommunication providers in China, has recently called for increased efforts to foster a 5G community that benefits all involved. The company aims to work with its partners to develop a multi-win 5G ecosystem that unlocks the full potential of the digital economy.
Chairman Liu Liehong delivered a speech via video at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, where he emphasized the importance of collaboration in 5G development. Liu stated that 5G development should be a “symphony,” not a “solo endeavor.” He added that China Unicom plans to drive growth in the communications technology industry while also boosting the development of smart devices, content, and applications.
Liu noted that China Unicom has made “exciting breakthroughs” in 5G since the commercial launch of the wireless technology. According to him, China Unicom’s network quality is steadily improving, with 1.17 million 5G base stations covered in all towns accounting for 30 percent of the world’s total. Additionally, 5G applications are being enriched as 62.5 percent of its mobile users subscribe to 5G packages and over 18,000 5G-powered industry projects.
China Unicom’s 5G ecosystem continues to grow, with its 5G Application Innovation Alliance now having over 3,000 members. The company has also implemented a new corporate strategy and identified “big connectivity, big computing, big data, big application, and big security” as its five main business focal points. Liu added that the company’s role is transforming from a traditional telecom service provider to serving the digital economy.
As the focus of 5G networks shifts from “Go Big” to “Go Quality,” and 5G applications move from “stand-alone cases” to a “diversified portfolio,” 5G innovation requires more synergy and collaboration, Liu said. To accelerate the development of 5G in this context, efforts should be doubled in developing business-to-consumer and business-to-home applications.
The senior executive also stated that China Unicom is ready to join forces with different verticals to explore new scenarios in connecting humans, machines, and everything. By dealing with common challenges such as standardization, costs, and business models, Liu hopes that the company will be more deeply involved in the core process of manufacturing to enable the commercialization of 5G applications at a larger scale.
In conclusion, China Unicom is committed to collaborating with all partners to foster an innovation chain, develop an industrial chain, and share a value chain in 5G to deliver social change. The company hopes that with nationwide 5G networks in place, the general public can enjoy the technology and unlock its full potential.