5G's present is face of the future

"During the opening ceremony, we offered four screens of high-definition live broadcasting for users to choose, which needed high data transmission requirements," said Gu Shengxue, who works for the Games' 5G live-broadcasting service provider.

"The 4G network is unable to transmit the mass data of this high-definition live broadcasting. Also, users can zoom in or out and change the angle of each live camera. It's very different from watching traditional TV.

"For example, during a soccer match, with this technology you wouldn't have to follow the broadcasting director. You can choose to watch from different cameras and get better angles to see how a player scored."

Visitors to Shanxi Sports Center, the Games' main stadium, can get a better idea of how the technology works at a 5G interactive exhibition being staged next to the arena.

The exhibition also shows the application of 5G in different sectors such as remote-controlled driving, smart factories and medical assistance.

"5G can allow a mine truck to be remotely controlled with no driver in the vehicle," said Dang Zhou, a guide at the exhibition.

"A mine truck might need four drivers a year to keep it operated every day. Each driver might earn 250,000 yuan ($35,000) a year. So the technology can save a lot on labor costs.

"Also, it's hard to hire labor for some mines, given the risks of the job. With the 5G and unmanned driving tech, we can increase the speed of a mine truck from 15 km per hour to 30 with much lower risk.

"The tech can also be used in the medical sector.

"A doctor in Beijing can remotely assist another doctor in another province to check the condition of a patient or even conduct a small surgery through a remotely controlled machine using the data transmission capability of the 5G network."