ZTE and the Zhejiang branch of China Mobile have jointly launched commercial trials of a new maritime broadband satellite solution.
The solution, Heweitong, is designed to help solve common problems of maritime communication, such as poor coverage, slow data rate, and high cost.
It will allow people at sea to communicate and access the internet by merely installing a mobile app on their smartphones.
During the trial period, China Mobile and ZTE are offering the solution for free. Once commercially launched, the companies expect the cost to be 90% lower than traditional marine communications solutions.
Heweitong has already undergone verification testing involving more than 50 ships and nearly 300 users in the Bohai Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
The project forms part of China Mobile's goal of offering ubiquitous connectivity via an integrated space, sky and land based communications solution.