Nokia announced that China Unicom has selected the Nokia optical fronthaul solution to power its 4G and 5G networks in China’s capital Beijing, supporting the operator’s commitment to deliver 5G during 2019.

Part of the Nokia end-to-end 5G portfolio, the solution will accelerate the deployment of 4G and 5G base stations across Beijing, the vendor said.

In order to meet its 2019 5G goals, Nokia said that China Unicom requires a robust fronthaul solution that will speed deployment of 4G/5G radios and simplify the installation and management of the network.

“The Nokia 1830 Versatile WDM Module (VWM) provides multiservice WDM optical transport and is ideally suited to the performance needs of advanced 4G and 5G fronthaul in cloud RAN architectures. Its low cost of operation and integrated backhaul to fronthaul management system are matched by its low latency and jitter performance — ensuring precise synchronization between cell sites,” Nokia said in a release.

Gao Bo, Head of the China Unicom CBT at Nokia Shanghai Bell, said: “We share China Unicom’s vision and commitment to creating this world-leading 5G service for its customers. The Nokia Anyhaul solutions are a key element in faster network deployment, simpler management and lower operational costs. The optical fronthaul solution will be key to providing top notch performance for China Unicom’s 4G/5G subscribers.”

In April this year, China Unicom announced plans to launch a 5G trial network in seven major cities across the country

The carrier said that the trials will be carried in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou and urban Xiong’an New Area.

The telco’s chairman, Wang Xiaochu, confirmed at a company event that 5G coverage will be made available in 33 cities across China and the company will also deploy a 5G private network and create 5G application scenarios in several cities.

China Unicom inks 5G agreement with BMW

In related news, China Unicom also signed BMW China Automotive Trading.

Under the terms of the cooperation agreement, the German auto maker will make joint efforts with China Unicom to test and develop autonomous vehicles based on 5G mobile technology. Besides, experimental 5G networks will be jointly built by both companies in a bid to explore the applications for autonomous vehicles in various scenarios.

“5G Mobile Communication technologies will have an overwhelming impact on the auto industry which is in the middle of a transformation towards digitalization. The extensive cooperation with China Unicom is a crucial step in BMW’s active planning and investment for the 5G era,” said Jochen Goller, BMW Group Region China president and CEO.

The German auto giant has been working with China Unicom to test and develop autonomous vehicles in experimental 5G networks.

BMW also unveiled plans to introduce 5G-enabled new models in the country beginning July 2021, as part of the deal with China Unicom.

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