China Unicom has launched Gigabit LTE network promising high-speed mobile broadband data to its subscribers.

The Gigabit LTE network upgraded by Ericsson, a telecom equipment maker in Sweden, will make full use of network resources and improve profitability.

“This achievement will fulfill our strategy to offer advanced services to individuals and enterprises. Our launch ceremony is innovative and fun, since we’re using Virtual Reality on a train over a high-speed network to prove the worthiness of this launch,” said Hao Liqian, general manager, Hainan branch, China Unicom.

On August 23, passengers on the Hainan Island high-speed train watched the ceremony through LTE broadcast technology and the Gigabit wireless network. Ericsson is the provider of the LTE broadcast solution, which is China’s first LTE broadcast commercial deployment.

“People will be able to immerse themselves in their video experience and not just understand, but feel, the difference with a Gigabit LTE network while they are moving at very fast speeds,” said Chris Houghton, head of Market Area North East Asia, Ericsson.

Ericsson’s LTE broadcast solution will revolutionize video delivery in mobile networks enabled by the combination of three new standards: eMBMS, HEVC (H.265) and MPEG DASH and will address the growing consumer demand for media services.

To accelerate the development of China Unicom’s video strategy, Ericsson supported China Unicom with eMBMS in the high-speed train scenario so that passengers could enjoy high-definition video without buffering on the network.

Recently, Ericsson supported China Unicom in setting up a 1Gbps network in Guangdong, Hainan, Shandong, and Beijing with peak speeds of up to 979Mbps. With 979Mbps speed, it takes just 13 seconds to download a 1080P high-definition movie.

There are more on-going 1Gbps trials in Sichuan, Hubei, Shanxi, Jilin and Jiangsu province. A high-speed mobile broadband network will enable businesses and services using Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and other big data operations.

Video traffic in mobile networks will account for 75 percent of mobile data traffic by 2022, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report.

Recently, Ericsson said the Gigabit LTE solution for C&W was tested on the operator’s live network, and includes features such as carrier aggregation, 4X4 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), and higher order modulation (256-QAM).