Chinese telecom major Huawei Technologies Co is partnering with China Unicom, a leading telecom carrier, to enable what the firms call a 5G-powered "snow experience" in Beijing, as part of a broader push by the IT giants to build the capital into a global benchmark for 5G applications.

The snow experience features nearly 20 applications including along the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, at the national alpine skiing and sliding centers in Beijing's Yanqing district, and in Fuyukou village in the capital's outskirts -- all intended to showcase the impressive uplink and downlink capabilities of 5G gigabit networks in both indoor and outdoor locations.

Continuous 5G coverage, for instance, has enabled China Unicom Beijing to deliver 10 new 5G services for users traveling the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, which is dotted with many tunnels.

In addition, at the national alpine skiing and sliding centers in Yanqing, China Unicom Beijing provides both athletes and spectators with an impressive array of smart services, including smart protection against COVID-19, real-time weather monitoring, and 5G first-aid to maximize 5G uplink and downlink gigabit capabilities.

"We have continued to build outstanding 5G networks for scaled commercial rollout and only shared what we achieve with these networks," said Yang Lifan, deputy general manager of China Unicom Beijing, regarding the 5G Capital project in 2021.

"With smart operations based on user-centric network assessment criteria released in May this year, we focused on new deployment, optimization and maintenance to build 5G gigabit networks that guarantee a gigabit experience in various scenarios," Yang said.

Ritchie Peng, president of Huawei's 5G product line, said: "Since the project was launched in April last year, we have been working with China Unicom Beijing on piloting and commercially rolling out 10 solutions, including indoor ubiquitous gigabit and super uplink. Together, we have established a global benchmark for 5G. We are very happy to see that China Unicom Beijing's networks have been used in several experience tours this year, demonstrating strong 5G capabilities in playgrounds, highways, mountains and rural areas. Through innovation, we will continue to help China Unicom Beijing build outstanding 5G networks."