China Unicom has launched a commercial Gigabit LTE network in partnership with Ericsson.
The operator has deployed a commercial 1Gbps network spanning parts of Guangdong, Hainan, Shandong and Beijing, and is trialing the technology in Sichuan, Hubei, Shanxi, Jilin and Jiangsu.
During the launch of the service yesterday, passengers on the Hainan Island high-speed train were offered the ability to watch the ceremony using LTE-Broadcast technology and the Gigabit network.
Ericsson is acting as the exclusive provider for LTE-Broadcast equipment, and the deployment represents China's first commercial rollout of the technology. Ericsson's solution will combine the eMBMS, HEVC and MPEG DASH standards in a bid to transform video delivery in mobile networks.
“This remarkable achievement will fulfill our strategy to offer the most advanced services to individuals and enterprises on the China Unicom network,” commented Hao Liqian, GM for China Unicom's Hainan branch.
“Our launch ceremony today is important, innovative and fun, since we’re using Virtual Reality on a high-speed train over a high-speed network to prove the worthiness of this launch.”
Unicom recently announced it will raise around $11.65 billion by bringing in new investors including China's internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, as part of the government-ordered mixed ownership reform pilot for currently majority state-owned companies.