The first commercial 5G base station in Southwest China's Guizhou province opened in the capital city of Guiyang on Nov 12.

Jointly built by China Unicom Guizhou Branch and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the base station is located in Shawen Science City of Baiyun district. The base station is mainly used to help the self-driving program realize remote operation. With the help of 5G technology, the download peak rate will reach 10 Gigabytes, letting drivers simulate the real driving environment through HD video feedback.

The 5G technology provides additional broadband capabilities and less of a time lag compared to 4G technology. Its potential applications include super HD live streaming, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), internet of things and the Internet of Vehicles.

Guiyang is among the first 16 cities in China to conduct mass trials of 5G technology, according to the National Development and Reform Commission in April.

As the only 5G operator in the province, China Unicom Guizhou Branch successfully launched the trial 5G base station at the 2018 China International Big Data Expo in May. It will cooperate with the Guiyang municipal government to support the application and development of 5G street lamps and HD cameras in the city.

The first commercial 5G base station in Guizhou province opens in capital city of Guiyang on Nov 12. [Photo/www.gog.cn]

Zhao Yandi contributed to this story