Huawei, China Unicom Guangdong, and the Zengcheng Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau today held the Zengcheng Lychee Live-Streaming Festival, themed “A 5G Boost for Lychees,” in Guangzhou’s Zengcheng District. Influencers and live streamers utilized a 5G live streaming service to promote and sell lychees directly from several orchards. Additionally, a 5.5G network trial was conducted, recording a maximum uplink speed exceeding 500Mbps, marking the first 5.5G live stream trial in rural China.
Live Streamers Promote Local Lychees Online
During the event, China Unicom Guangzhou and the Zengcheng Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau signed a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement on Smart Agriculture and Digital Villages. This agreement focuses on developing innovative applications in designated test areas, such as precise planting, real-time HD monitoring of diseases and pests, and VR for agri-ecotourism. The collaboration aims to build a data platform to drive high-quality development in digital agriculture.
Officials from Zengcheng District emphasized the integration of AI, 5G, and the Internet of Things in 2024, highlighting that 5G live streaming has become an essential tool for modern farmers. They noted that live commerce is a new business model accelerating agricultural development and increasing farmers’ incomes.
China Unicom Guangdong introduced its 5G live streaming service plan at the festival, the first of its kind in China. The service meets live streamers’ needs for ultra-high uplink bandwidth, large network capacity, and high-definition videos, ensuring a stable and smooth user experience. Using intelligent network elements and 5G slicing technologies, the network supports 50% more traffic and quadruples uplink speeds for standard users. The network, built on Huawei’s SmartCare integrated data platform, allows fast fault analysis and delimitation, enhancing live streaming experiences.
5.5G Trial Network Speed Testing Onsite
At this year’s MWC Barcelona, the 5G live streaming service won the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO) for “Best Mobile Operator Service for Connected Consumers,” demonstrating high industry recognition. Since its launch in 2022, the service has been used by over 300,000 users across sectors like agriculture, tourism, clothing, and e-sports.
During a media roundtable, Wang Liang, deputy general manager of China Unicom Guangdong’s Product Innovation Center, stated, “New tools are essential for excelling in new agricultural tasks. China Unicom Guangdong uses 5G network slicing and double-channel technologies to provide fast, stable network services for live streaming. 5G supports the farm-to-table model for agricultural products, ushering in a new chapter for agriculture and revitalizing rural development.”
Wang added, “Moving forward, China Unicom will leverage innovative technologies like 5.5G to power network innovation and new product development. We will collaborate with our ecosystem partners to support live streaming sales of agricultural products and promote innovation across the wider agriculture industry.”
Advancements with 5.5G
5.5G offers substantial improvements over 5G, with downlink peak speeds increasing from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps and uplink peak speeds from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, representing a tenfold increase in bandwidth. This allows for higher-definition streaming in 3D and interactive formats and provides differentiated experience assurances dynamically adjusted for different live streaming users’ needs. 5.5G also lays the groundwork for new consumer services such as cloud phones, New Calling, and glasses-free 3D.
Hou Yingzhen, president of Huawei’s 5G Marketing & Solution Sales Department, commented, “Huawei will continue to innovate in products and technologies to extend the benefits of 5G to more people and support the commercial deployment of 5.5G. With a tenfold improvement over 5G, 5.5G will support 100 billion connections and 10 Gbps speeds, essential for network infrastructure in an intelligent world. 5.5G will drive the live streaming economy in China and contribute to quality growth in rural areas and the broader agriculture industry, accelerating the digitalization of many more industries.”