China Unicom promotes 5G AI initiative

China Unicom Beijing has unveiled its 5G‑Advanced large uplink network capability at the company's Future Network Innovation Lab, in a move to address the surging bandwidth demands of artificial intelligence‑driven applications.

Dubbed "Upward Bound, AI Drives the Future," the launch marks the operator's latest push to expand its large uplink network capability in the AI era.

The enhanced uplink capacity is designed to support a wide array of emerging use cases, including AI‑enabled terminals, high‑definition video backhaul, embodied intelligence, low‑altitude economy and smart industrial systems. As AI permeates every facet of life, the network is no longer judged solely by download speeds but by its ability to transmit massive on‑site data to the cloud with stability and precision.

"In the Mobile AI era, more data is generated at the edge and must be sent back to the cloud for real‑time processing. The network needs not only fast download but also reliable and accurate upload," said Miao Shouye, deputy general manager of China Unicom. "Large uplink capability is becoming the fundamental pillar for real‑time interaction, enabling the network to better connect, sense and serve the physical world."

China Unicom Beijing has already built one of the world's largest single‑city large uplink network capability. It has deployed over 10,000 base stations each supporting 100 Mbps uplink bandwidth across the capital. In 84 key scenarios, peak uplink rates reach 1 Gbps — a 48 percent improvement over previous 5G‑A peaks — while average uplink speed hits 397 Mbps, up 65 percent. The 20 Mbps ubiquitous uplink satisfaction rate in central urban areas exceeds 91 percent, and the large‑uplink effective ratio stands above 83 percent.

During a live road test along a 34‑km route traversing urban mobile and high‑load environments, seven media outlets verified the network's performance. The test recorded an 83 percent effective ratio for 100 MHz uplink, a peak rate of 1 Gbps, and 72 percent of the route delivering extreme uplink experience above 300 Mbps.

The deployment cements China Unicom's leadership in transforming 5G‑A into a robust uplink foundation, ready to power the intelligent connectivity needs of tomorrow's AI ecosystem.