Urumqi strides forward into 5G era

Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, plans to build 3,800 5G base stations by the end of 2020, which will form the initial 5G network architecture and provide the basic conditions for 5G commercial use in the region, according to Yasen Sidik, the city's mayor.

Early this year, the regional government released an implementation plan for promoting the construction and development of 5G in the region, confirming that Xinjiang will make great efforts to develop 5G networks and accelerate the commercialization of the technology across the region.

"As one of the first national demonstration cities for 5G, Urumqi has provided a primary ecosystem for the commercialization of the network," Yasen said.

According to a report released by the government, Urumqi has already built 2,200 5G base stations, covering main business districts and 21 key enterprises of the city, including the international airport, high-speed railway station and the state grid in Urumqi.

Urumqi has already taken advantage of the technology to realize 360-degree immersive inspections of tourist attractions and power grids for the first time in this year, and the city's industrial enterprises are able to monitor steel production process and detect steel quality in real time with the help of 5G.

Yasen said the city has established a leading group of 5G construction and issued several implementation plans for construction.

"Next, Urumqi will continue to promote the construction of 5G, deepen integrated applications for 5G in manufacturing, energy, transportation, medical care and education and build a unified industrial cloud in the city," Yasen said.