A man observes the real-time environment of Baiyang Lake, where 5G base stations have been set up, with a VR goggle at the 2019 Mobile World Congress in Shanghai, Aug 8. [Photo/IC]

Pudong New Area is forging ahead in the construction of 5G networks with continuous efforts to develop related infrastructure, applications, and industries.

The Pudong New Area government building recently achieved full 5G coverage with the operation of a base station on its roof, making it one of the first local Chinese governments to achieve 5G coverage.

According to Shanghai's three-year (2019-2021) plan for the 5G industry, Jianqiao and Zhangjiang, two technological parks in Pudong New Area, will form 5G-related industrial clusters focusing on 5G system equipment and 5G chips, respectively.

Pudong New Area also announced that its Jinqiao, Zhangjiang, Lujiazui, and Expo Area will explore innovative applications of 5G technology in smart manufacturing and financial services.

5G network coverage requires enough 5G base stations to provide a signal. The Shanghai Municipal Government said the city will have 10,000 5G base stations by the end of 2019, and 20,000 by the end of 2020.

Gong Chen, chief of 5G development in Pudong New Area, said that 5G requires many more base stations than 4G.

Choosing locations for 5G base stations is also a difficult task, especially in Pudong New Area due to its expensive land, Gong said.

To make deployment faster and cheaper, most of the more than 3,000 completed 5G base stations have been located on towers operated by the Pudong Tower Company, Gong said.

During the World Artificial Intelligence Conference held in Shanghai from Aug 29 to 31, the technology and economy committee of Pudong New Area managed to achieve 5G coverage in the 23-kilometer region from Lujiazui to the Expo Area with the support of state-owned enterprises in the region.

A 5G industrial park in Jinqiao was also inaugurated during the conference. The park will apply 5G technology in vehicles, intelligent manufacturing, videos, healthcare, and finance.

To expand the application of 5G, the park will cooperate with large companies and institutions, including the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, China Mobile, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, and Huawei (which set up its Huawei 5G Innovation Center in the park).