China-Laos railway to provide mobile network service

The China-Laos Railway, which is expected to open to traffic in early December, will provide stable mobile networks in the Chinese section, some with 5G, to help improve experiences for passengers, constructors said.

The service will be provided by China's three telecom giants — China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom. Technicians tested the signal on Wednesday and said the internet speed can reach basic standards.

The newly constructed Yuxi-Mohan section of the railway is 500 kilometers long, with 93 tunnels and 136 bridges, which posed challenges for constructors to realize internet coverage.

"We need a communication base station every 500 meters along the railway, and 80 percent of newly-built stations are in tropical rainforests without power supply. And in many places, we had to carry equipment there by human labor or horses," said Dou Xiaogen, who is in charge of the network service of the railway at the China CREC Railway Electrification Bureau.

The team overcame the difficulties of complex landscapes, changeable climate and inconvenient transportation, to ensure the construction of networks finished along with the railway, Dou said.

The railway is expected to accelerate exchanges of China and Laos, drive local economy and benefit tourists.