Huawei has partnered with communications group China Unicom Beijing to create the world’s largest commercial MetaAAU network; the latest iteration of Huawei’s 5G antenna array (AA) service that boosts connectivity while reducing energy consumption. 

MetaAAU’s are the third-generation of Huawei’s 5G AAU (active antenna units), capable of double the scale of arrays compared to previous iterations and promising high-speed and stable 5G connection. Using these units, Unicom Beijing has achieved its 2022 5G construction targets for small towns and rural areas, bringing connectivity solutions to these typically unconnected pockets. 

The collaboration has seen the deployment of MetaAAUs at more than 1,000 rural network sites on the outskirts of Beijing, with a resulting 38% increase in traffic per site and an energy consumption reduction of 5% per site.  

The project also marks a step forward in Huawei and China Unicom’s “5G Capital” innovation project, an initiative to support and accelerate network connection across rural areas in China, bridge the current urban-rural digital infrastructure divide, and turn Beijing into a “global 5G benchmark.”

With 5G networks becoming increasingly available outside of urban areas, the construction of “digital villages” has become an increasingly appealing solution to rural network discrepancies. The growing industries of smart agriculture, remote education and telemedicine are also giving rise to the need for high-speed connections and smaller carbon footprints. 

“Since the project launched in April [2020], we have been working with China Unicom Beijing on piloting and commercially rolling out 10 solutions, including MetaAAU, indoor ubiquitous gigabit, and super uplink,” said Ritchie Peng, president of Huawei’s 5G Product Line. “…China Unicom Beijing’s networks have been used in several experience tours this year, demonstrating strong 5G capabilities in bustling playgrounds, highways, mountains and rural areas.”