Shanghai, China – June 20, 2025 — At Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2025, China Unicom Beijing and Huawei jointly announced the release of Smart Operation Network 2.0, signaling a unified push to transform communications networks from simple “connection pipes” into “intelligent platforms” ready for the AI revolution.
During his speech, Yang Lifan, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom Beijing, highlighted the explosive data growth driven by AI applications like autonomous driving and human-level interactions. Current networks, he warned, face uplink bottlenecks—predicted to hit a tipping point by 2029—due to the massive bandwidth required for cloud-based AI training and HD video uploads.
Building a 3D Smart 5G-A Network
To address these challenges, the two companies are focused on upgrading the 5G-Advanced (5G-A) infrastructure:
- Multi-Layer Networking: China Unicom Beijing is pioneering the transition to a layered communications system across Beijing, leveraging high bands for capacity, mid-bands for continuous coverage, and low bands combined with space-air-ground coordination for wide-area connectivity.
- 3D Network Pilot: The partners have deployed the world’s first 3D smart 5G-A network and successfully piloted 1:1 3D networking based on high- and mid-band coordination, ensuring seamless 5G-A user experience across air and ground.
Autonomous Operations with AI
The Smart Operation Network 2.0 centers on building Autonomous Networks to move past reliance on manual operations and troubleshooting:
- Automation Goal: China Unicom Beijing and Huawei aim to achieve full automation across all network settings by 2026, covering deployment, maintenance, optimization, and complaint handling.
- Digital Twin System: They have successfully deployed a digital twin system for high-speed rail that visualizes passenger services down to the individual level, shortening fault response times to within 10 seconds and enabling fault self-healing within 30 minutes.
- Intelligent Processing: The use of Universal Intelligent Service Processing Units (UISPs) enables accurate service identification and analysis, allowing for dynamic experience assurance and significantly improving 5G-A operational efficiency.
David Li, Vice President of Huawei Wireless Network Product Line, stated the need for 5G-A networks to explore new connection spaces and business value by prioritizing experience-centered networks with innovations in high uplink and smart operations.
