China Unicom to get on board with 4k video technology

Company logos of China Unicom are displayed at a news conference during the company's announcement of its annual results in Hong Kong, China, March 16, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

China Unicom, the country's second largest telecom carrier, established an alliance on Wednesday to promote the development of 4K high-resolution videos in China.

By partnering with online video providers including LeEco Holdings Co Ltd, mgtv.com and Youku Tudou, the State-owned telecom operator said it will step up efforts to offer consumers a better video watching experience.

Eager to lay foundation for the 4K high-resolution video services which demand faster Internet speeds, the company said it will expand its fiber-optic networks to 200 million households by the end of this year.

Its current fiber-optic network covers 160 million families after the company poured in 24.4 billion yuan ($3.7 billion) to upgrade its fixed-networks in seven northern Chinese provinces.

The move is the company's latest efforts to diversify revenue sources as its once-lucrative voice call and text messaging services were eroded by Internet companies' instant messaging services such as Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat.