China Unicom Beijing, Huawei Deploy World’s First High-Uplink 5G-A Network Powers at Beijing Marathon

China Unicom Beijing and Huawei deployed the high-uplink, AI-powered 5G-A network at the 2025 Beijing Marathon. The network provided mobile coverage in over 90% of the areas along the 42.195 km route of the race, in which 32,000 runners competed.

This 5G-A network offered enhanced uplink speed, network capacity, and latency to ensure uninterrupted connectivity, zero lag, and crystal clarity for event livestreaming, media uploads, and individual user sharing. Coordinated application of 5G-A and AI set a benchmark for intelligent event support.

High-Uplink Network for High-Speed Transmission

The high-uplink 5G-A network provided targeted assurance for the event’s heavy uplink demands, including livestreaming by media channels, real-time sharing by the general public, and rule enforcement by referees. The network’s average uplink speed remained steady at 20 Mbps along the entire route for over 95% of the event.

Use of high-, mid-, and low-band coordination technology enabled the peak uplink speeds to reach 4 Gbps. Dedicated uplink slices deployed at eight key sections of the route enabled 4K media uploading in mere seconds.

Premium 5G-A Services for a Better User Experience

The event was powered by a 5G-A intelligent elastic network channel jointly provided by China Unicom Beijing and Huawei. Through this channel, subscribers to 5G-A region-specific packages could find a China Unicom VIP icon on their phones indicating their access to 3 Gbps peak downlink and 300 Mbps peak uplink speeds. This premium capability allowed for instant uploads to social media.

Exclusive 5G-A Perks for Better User Perception

As the event sponsor, China Unicom also delivered runner support services throughout the event from start to finish. Coordination of the high-uplink 5G-A network with AI technology allowed runners to access exclusive services like HD photos, vlogs, cloud storage, and intelligent classification.

Immersive Viewing Experiences for Users

The high-uplink 5G-A network won acclaim from event viewers. "This experience was like nothing before. I could record videos and livestream at the same time, and the videos were crystal clear too. I could post to social media almost instantly" said one spectator. The fast upload speeds were praised by photographers. "There’s almost no waiting to share this experience" said one.

Qin Yang, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom Beijing, said, "The 2025 Beijing Marathon was an excellent opportunity to champion our core brand values of innovation, security, and trustworthiness with the power of digital technologies. We will continue to work with industry partners like Huawei to explore the power of 5G-A and AI in scenarios beyond sports and help create an intelligent future"