CHINA Unicom, one of the three major mobile operators in the country, will put in place uninterrupted 5G network coverage in major cities, according to its network deployment plan released Tuesday.

The 5G network will cover Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou and urban Xiongan New Area, according to the plan.

Meanwhile, 5G hotspot coverage will be made available in 33 cities and the company will also deploy the 5G private network and create 5G application scenarios in every walk of life in several cities to nurture the incubation of 5G applications and upgrade the industry.

China Unicom is vigorously pushing forward the innovative integration of 5G technology and applications and providing network support for 5G development, said China Unicom chairman Wang Xiaochu.

China Unicom and Shanghai’s city government inked an agreement Tuesday to improve the city’s fiber optic broadband and high-speed mobile communication networks.

According to the agreement, the company will invest 15 billion yuan (US$2.24 billion) in Shanghai by 2021 to turn the city into a “dual gigabit broadband city” on both mobile communication and fixed broadband networks.

China Unicom reported March 13 a soaring growth of 458 percent in its net profit for 2018. Net profit amounted to 10.2 billion yuan and revenue stood at 290.9 billion yuan, higher than the market estimate of 287.05 billion yuan. Revenue from its mobile services reached 165.1 billion yuan, up 5.5 percent year on year, higher than the industry average of 0.6 percent.

The company’s 4G user base increased by 45.05 million last year, bringing the total number to 220 million. (Xinhua)