5G Empowerment: Ushering in a Four-Dimensional Communication Era Across Air, Space, Land, and Sea

5G Empowerment: Ushering in a Four-Dimensional Communication Era Across Air, Space, Land, and SeaThroughout the long course of human civilization, the exploration of "reaching the heavens and entering the seas" has never ceased. From the dragon's cloud-riding in the Shan Hai Jing to Sun Wukong's somersault cloud in Journey to the West, the magnificent imaginations in mythology and literature reflect humanity's yearning to transcend the limitations of physical space

5G Empowerment: Ushering in a Four-Dimensional Communication Era Across Air, Space, Land, and Sea

• Throughout the long course of human civilization, the exploration of "reaching the heavens and entering the seas" has never ceased. From the dragon's cloud-riding in the Shan Hai Jing to Sun Wukong's somersault cloud in Journey to the West, the magnificent imaginations in mythology and literature reflect humanity's yearning to transcend the limitations of physical space. Now, with the increasing maturity of 5G technology, we are stepping into a real four-dimensional communication era encompassing air, space, land, and sea. A future of ubiquitous connectivity and seamless interconnection is gradually becoming a reality, achieving comprehensive coverage from the vast expanse of stars, altitudes of tens of thousands of meters, the boundless land, to the limitless ocean.

Since the commercial launch of 5G in China, the country has built the world's largest and most technologically advanced 5G network infrastructure. By the end of October 2024, the total number of 5G base stations nationwide exceeded 4.141 million, with 29 5G base stations per 10,000 people, exceeding the "14th Five-Year Plan" targets ahead of schedule. 5G applications have penetrated 80 out of 97 major categories of the national economy, profoundly changing the socio-economic structure and strongly driving digital transformation. Its influence reaches across all domains of air, space, land, and sea. In 2024, 5G technology is accelerating its evolution towards 5G-A, laying a solid foundation for future development.

Signals from Beyond Earth: Satellite Internet and 5G NTN Technology

At 9:50 PM on October 10, 2024, China successfully launched the 03 satellite of its high-orbit satellite internet constellation from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, marking another major advancement in China's space exploration endeavors. In recent years, many countries around the world have successively released space strategies and policies, making space resources a new high ground for global technological competition. In April 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission included satellite internet in "new infrastructure," positioning it as a key development direction for communication network infrastructure.

Reports from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) show that existing mobile communication networks globally cover only about 20% of the Earth's land surface, less than 6% of the Earth's surface area. This means that vast oceans, mountainous regions, deserts, and remote areas still face severe communication coverage challenges. Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology has emerged as a solution. This breakthrough technology is like installing a giant "Wi-Fi" in the sky, enabling smartphones and IoT devices to connect directly to satellites, ensuring communication remains uninterrupted even in remote areas or during disasters.

NTN technology is crucial for IoT devices that require continuous online access, such as those used in agriculture, energy exploration and monitoring, ocean management, wildlife conservation, and connected vehicles, among numerous other fields. Data from IoT Analytics indicates that by 2027, the global satellite IoT user base will reach 22 million. The vision of global interconnection and the interconnection of all things is gradually becoming a reality.

ZTE, as a key player in the satellite mobile communication industry, possesses industry-leading end-to-end product solutions and satellite communication terminals. ZTE actively collaborates with industry chain partners to promote the verification and application expansion of 5G NTN technology. In December 2024, ZTE assisted China Telecom in launching the country's first commercially operational IoT NTN network, bringing new connection solutions and innovative possibilities to the IoT field.

Connectivity at Ten Thousand Meters: 5G ATG Technology

While 5G NTN technology enables satellite communication from beyond Earth, 5G ATG (Air-To-Ground) technology extends the signal to altitudes of tens of thousands of meters. According to surveys by the Civil Aviation Passenger Service Evaluation (CAPSE), 98% of passengers hope to have internet access on board aircraft, and 78% would prioritize airlines offering in-flight internet services.

5G ATG technology transmits signals to ATG terminals on aircraft via customized 5G base stations deployed along flight routes, allowing passengers to enjoy broadband networks for online entertainment or immediate office work, just as they would on the ground. However, civil aircraft typically fly at speeds of 800 to 1000 kilometers per hour. Providing high-speed and stable network connectivity under the influence of high-speed flight, inclement weather, and cloud cover presents significant challenges.

ZTE, leveraging its independently developed aviation-grade CPE, industry-leading chips, and core algorithms, has achieved a coverage radius of 300 kilometers with a single ground-based base station. Even at high-speed flights of 1200 kilometers per hour, passengers can enjoy a smooth broadband network experience. This technology also supports emergency rescue, flight operations, airborne weather monitoring, and flight safety assurance.

ZTE has continued to cultivate ATG network technology during the 3G/4G/5G eras. In 2009, ZTE began exploring 3G ATG networks; in 2014, it partnered with domestic airlines to conduct the industry's first 4G LTE ATG trial and opened two pre-commercial routes; in 2020, it collaborated with China Mobile to achieve the world's first 5G ATG test flight. In 2022, ZTE obtained AS/EN9100 aviation quality system certification, becoming the first and only communication enterprise in China to receive this certification, demonstrating that its quality system meets international aerospace standards. In September 2024, ZTE's 5G ATG airborne equipment passed airworthiness certification, meeting airworthiness standards.

Constructing a Low-Altitude "Sky Road": 5G-A Integrated Sensing and Communication Technology

With 5G ATG building information communication networks at high altitudes, the rise of the low-altitude economy is also changing our perception of space. Extending the ground "roads" to the "low altitude," how will this transform our world? Commuting might become "air flight," delivery personnel might become "delivery pilots," and future platforms might be similar to ride-hailing, payment, and application software for aerial services.

In 2024, the low-altitude economy is gradually transitioning from concept to reality. On December 27, 2024, the National Development and Reform Commission established the Low-Altitude Economy Development Department, signaling that the field of low-altitude economy in China will receive more clear strategic planning and policy support. From aircraft manufacturing to low-altitude infrastructure construction, upstream and downstream enterprises across the entire industry chain are striving for the future of the low-altitude economy.

Unlike physical roads and transportation facilities on the ground, the development of "roads" in the low-altitude space will necessarily be digital roads and network roads based on communication networks. When operating at low altitudes, drones need to maintain communication with the ground, receive instructions, and the ground needs to track and feedback on the drone's flight status and issue instructions promptly. How does a drone safely take off? It needs to communicate with the ground, sense the environment, and have the ability to sense direction in the air.

ZTE's 5G-A integrated sensing and communication technology combines "communication, perception, computation, and intelligence," building a flying "sky road" for the development of the low-altitude economy. Whether in a city with towering buildings, on the ground, or at low altitudes, drones can obtain stable and efficient communication services, and every movement of aircraft in the air is clearly visible.

How to handle encounters with freely flying birds during flight? ZTE and its partners, at the Beijing Yanqing Drone Industrial Park, successfully conducted multi-type target recognition experiments based on AI computing and large model deep learning using a 5G-A integrated sensing and communication large-scale contiguous network environment, achieving effective bird identification.

Recently, ZTE and Guangdong Mobile jointly launched an innovative low-altitude sensing network optimization scheme that can accurately sense flying objects as small as 0.01 square meters, enabling effective identification even at a flight speed of 40 meters per second. Currently, ZTE, together with operators and third-party partners, has completed more than 80 low-altitude sensing pilot projects in 25 provinces and cities, covering various application scenarios such as logistics delivery and low-altitude safety in key areas.

Transforming Land-Based Intelligence: The Ten-Gigabit Speed of 5G-A

From the cloud to the ground, 5G-A is almost silently reshaping our interaction with the world. In factory workshops, communication between machines is faster and more intelligent; in the veins of cities, self-driving vehicles are quietly appearing; VR and XR technologies bring new virtual world experiences.

On November 22, 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and twelve other ministries jointly issued the "Upgraded Plan for the 5G Scalable Application 'Setting Sail' Action," putting forward the goal of building a development pattern of "universal capability, popular application, and universal empowerment" by the end of 2027, with the overall goal of fully achieving scalable 5G application.

The contiguous deployment of 5G-A to achieve "

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