Exhibition and innovation Harbor a platform for global excellence

Imaginechina

The world’s first 5G application exhibition and innovation center was launched at the North Bund waterfront in Hongkou District this month, making Hongkou a pioneer in the city for the coverage of 5G connectivity and broadband gigabit network.

The 5G International Innovation Harbor, in a four-story building along the Huangpu River in Hongkou, has an exhibition hall displaying the most updated applications based on 5G, the next generation of mobile communication technology, along with innovation platforms for global enterprises to join the development.

The 5,558-square-meter building on Yangshupu Road, birthplace of many of China’s earliest industries, has nine sections on the ground floor to display 5G network construction, its industry chain, applications and scenarios as well as an experience section with equipment displays, a cinema and a museum.

Leading Chinese technology companies, including Huawei, ZiFiSense and Lora, display their technologies, facilities, products and scenarios based on 5G on the second floor. It serves as a joint innovation center for the new-generation information technology. Creative experiments will be conducted on comprehensive 5G applications and scenarios. The companies will carry out research and development, exhibit and examine the top technologies, facilities and scenarios. Regular events will be arranged for companies based in the center, such as project roadshows, product integrity, attracting investment, information publicity and cooperation.

A futuristic outlook at 6G technology, or 5G plus low earth orbit mobile-satellite communications, is showcased on the third floor. The joint innovation center on 5G plus VSAT, or Very Small Aperture Terminal, is targeted at being a highland of China on low earth orbit mobile satellite communications.

Shanghai VSAT Technology Co, a leading satellite R&D and manufacturing company, has cooperated with the Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites of Chinese Academy of Sciences to conduct innovative research and testing in the field of 5G and satellite communication technology. They will jointly build a satellite assembly and test space, an engineering lab and application research center. They will focus on the development, testing, maintenance, data collection and visual development of software systems such as star management platform, multi-star test platform, satellite data application platform and space-time information system.

The top floor exhibits the surrounding 5G applications at the North Bund area. The Beiwaitan Subdistrict has applied 5G in government affairs, traffic and public security. The urban planning display area uses digital media to display the new situation of Hongkou’s high-quality economic and social development in recent years and details urban management in the district.

Shanghai has become one of the leading Chinese cities for 5G development after major carriers China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom debuted their 5G networks in Shanghai in June, said Zhang Jianming, deputy director of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization.

The city had more than 8,800 large 5G outdoor base stations and nearly 6,000 indoor small stations to cover 598 buildings citywide by the end of August, Zhang said, with 5G technology mainly used for manufacturing, medicine and urban management.

It is estimated the industry scale of 5G manufacturing, software and information services will reach 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) by 2021.

As the first district to complete 5G coverage, Hongkou had installed 610 base stations by the end of August. The North Bund area has been covered with super fast mobile Internet 5G network.

Test data showed the 5G network was able to provide a peak single-user download speed of 1.6 Gbps, nearly 16 times faster than 4G. Aside from speed, the low latency of 5G network is especially helpful for applications of the Internet of Things.

At the launch ceremony of the 5G trial network in Hongkou on March 30, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Wu Qing made the network’s first 5G video call on a Huawei Mate X, the first phone with 5G capabilities.

As a key site for Hongkou’s development, the North Bund area along the Huangpu River is home to over 4,500 shipping companies and 1,200 financial companies and institutions. Over 3 million square meters of office buildings have been built along the riverside to offer a first-class environment and services to global companies and professionals.

10 5G applications in Hongkou District

5G+ Smart medical treatment

Shanghai General Hospital in Hongkou has become the city’s first hospital to be fully covered by the 5G network. It is exploring the application of 5G for pre-hospital first-aid, remote consultations, remote surgery guidance, remote ultrasound connections and augmented reality guidance. It has completed the city’s first pre-hospital first-aid exercise in an ambulance with the help of 5G to offer more timely treatment for patients.

5G+ Wisdom education

Shanghai East Foreign Language School Affiliated to SISU has been sharing its quality classes with the North Daqiu Middle School in China’s southwest Yunnan Province. The program aims to improve linguistic education in remote mountainous regions and to facilitate China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

5G+ Smart finance

China Construction Bank’s North Bund branch is the first 5G bank in the city. It uses 5G and AI to explore the customer self-service experience. The bank has also introduced Shanghai’s first remote interactive machine to provide customers with tailored and instant remote services. Such intelligent services will be promoted to local communities in the future.

5G+ Smart retail

An unmanned supermarket has been opened in Hongkou featuring 5G and AI technologies. The Aiqunar store has high-definition cameras to track customers’ actions and upload for visual analysis. Through remote payment, customers can pick up their favorite products and leave the store directly.

5G+ Smart public security

The Hongkou Public Security Bureau is exploring a police three-dimensional patrol system. With 5G and AI, big data, cloud computing and other technologies, the system can realize intelligent law enforcement, patrol, warning, remote command and fast response to emergencies. The system can realize wider coverage with fewer officers to improve the effectiveness of the police as well as the security of communities.

5G+ Smart firefighting

The Hongkou fire brigade uses drones to carry out fire drills and enhance emergency response capabilities. Drones can help to spot fires quickly, take photos and send them to the commanding center through the 5G network. The facility can help firefighters choose the most efficient way to extinguish blazes.

5G+ Smart city management

Hongkou District Urban Management Law Enforcement Bureau, with the help of the 5G bandwidth, has realized a new mobile law enforcement pattern. High-definition panoramic cameras are installed on law enforcement patrol cars while the officers wear recorders to send back real-time information to the command headquarters.

5G+ Smart construction site

The No. 78 plot in Hongkou has launched a smart site management platform to monitor personnel and construction materials entering the site. With the help of 4K HD video surveillance and 5G technology, the platform improved the management, reduced the cost while ensuring the safety for the construction site.

5G+ Smart Party construction

Hongkou District Science and Technology Financial Party Construction Service Center applies 5G+VR technology to improve the quality of Party classes. It aims to revive history of the Communist Party of China and build a 5G+VR immersive Party class.

5G+ Smart sports

A popular public basketball game has been using 5G, 4K and VR technologies for live broadcast. Audiences can watch 360-degree views, while the performance data of the players is collected in real time.