Full speed ahead for 5G in Yangpu
Remote medical assistance based on augmented reality is made possible by the 5G network in Yangpu District.
A 5G network will cover northeast downtown area by the end of the year to support applications on medical service, automated driving and emergency rescue.
Over 500 5G base stations will be deployed across Yangpu District by October to ensure strong connectivity at key areas such as the Wujiaochang commercial complex, Huangpu River waterfront, innovation parks, universities and hospitals.
The district plans to finish installing 914 base stations by 2020 to fully cover the region and mark the start of various innovative applications mainly at local hospitals, university campuses and commercial landmarks, the district government announced on Tuesday.
Test data showed that the 5G network is able to provide a peak single-user download speed of 1.6 Gbps, nearly 16 times faster than 4G. The low latency of the 5G network is especially helpful for applications of the Internet of Things.
With the support of 5G network, for instance, unmanned shuttle bus Apollo, developed by Baidu, has enhanced its response speed to 5 milliseconds and its driving accuracy to within a centimeter, said Shen Xin, deputy director of Yangpu's science and technology commission.
The driverless vehicle at the Changyang Campus, a downtown innovation focal point in a renovated textile factory, can take six passengers and is able to avoid obstacles including pedestrians and other vehicles.
Shen said that with the help of 5G, the vehicle can operate at night or on rainy days with an accuracy higher than human drivers.
An artificial intelligence robot is being developed to transport medical devices and drugs within Xinhua Hospital.
Shanghai is the first city with a trial 5G network with 500 5G base stations and various 5G applications, Shanghai Daily learned during a 5G exhibition and summit.
A total of 228 5G base stations have been deployed in Hongkou, making it the first district in the city to be fully covered by a 5G network.
In a key application, Shanghai Telecom is cooperating with Xinhua Hospital to create an artificial intelligence robot that can transport medical devices and drugs within the hospital.
"Thanks to the fast speed of 5G network, the robot will be able to transport between indoor clinics and outdoor facilities at the hospital," said Pan Weihua, director of the hospital's big data center.
The network can also help create a training center for young doctors with virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. It can realize remote medical advice for patients and community medical centers to save costs and release limited medical resources, Pan said.
The superfast network will also be applied to emergency rescue efforts and the initial operation will be conducted at the Wujiaochang hub, featuring a gigantic underground shopping complex that Shen said had safety risks.
The 5G network will be used to analyze the number of shoppers and send alerts in time in the underground tunnels that preceding networks could hardly reach, Shen said.
Further applications will be developed with cooperation among telecom operators, innovation parks and universities. The district government will issue supportive polices and assistance, the Yangpu government said.
