5G-A bridge to new telecom, industry era

As a global pioneer in commercializing 5G-A technology, which plays a key role in bridging 5G to 6G, China has already deployed such networks in over 300 cities, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Meanwhile, more than 30 provincial-level regions in China have launched 5G-A service packages, with subscribers surpassing 10 million.

The progress came after China solidified its global leadership in 5G deployment, with the total number of 5G base stations reaching 4.44 million, achieving full 5G coverage in all townships and 90 percent penetration in administrative villages, according to the latest data disclosed by the MIIT in June.

China's 5G applications now span 86 out of 97 national economic sectors, with over 138,000 real-world use cases. Key sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, and energy are rapidly digitizing, supported by more than 18,500 "5G + industrial internet" projects nationwide, the MIIT said.

While 5G matures, its enhanced sibling, 5G-A, coupled with AI, is also reshaping industries. In the industrial sector, 5G-A's ultra-low latency and high bandwidth are enabling precise perception and decision-making for robots. Real-time data processing via 5G-A supports closed-loop "sense-decide-act "operations, reducing high-risk work hazards while boosting efficiency and safety, according to Huawei Technologies Co.

For robots to truly integrate into industrial production and everyday applications, low latency is the basic requirement, and collaborative decision-making is the key to commercial applications, said Chang Lin, CEO of Leju Robotics.

With the help of sound networks, AI is also helping companies boost efficiency. State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co Ltd's information and communication branch recently unveiled its self-developed "CoolGood" AI code review agent, providing an innovative solution to a critical industry challenge. Facing the inefficiency of traditional manual "bug hunting" code reviews, the company has now achieved "near real-time diagnosis" of system code through AI. This breakthrough has doubled the efficiency of electricity billing calculations and increased the operational efficiency of core power grid business systems by a factor of ten.

Ye Wei, code review lead at the company, emphasized the critical importance of code quality: "If we compare the digital system to the neural network supporting the physical grid infrastructure, code is the neuron. Its quality directly impacts the safety, stability, and operational efficiency of the entire power grid."

However, the company faced immense pressure reviewing billions of lines of code — a daunting task akin to "finding a needle in a haystack".