Published : 2026-03-30
On 30 March, 2019, Hongkou District in Shanghai established China's first 5G network in an administrative region and began trial operations.
On the morning of that day, the opening ceremony of the "World's First Dual Gigabit Zone" was held in Hongkou District, Shanghai.
The organiser specially arranged for the then Deputy Mayor of Shanghai, Wu Qing (吳清), to make the first 5G phone call on the spot.
When asked if the call was clear, the other party said, "It's so clear. I'm by the Huangpu River, and it's like you're right next to me".
On the same day, the construction of the "5G Global Innovation Port", located in the North Bund of Hongkou, also commenced.
It integrated 5G display, co-creation, application, popular science, and more, to meet the innovative needs of the information industry and promote the transformation of a number of key technologies.
At the time, Hongkou District had already built 228 5G base stations, achieving full coverage of gigabit fixed broadband and 5G networks across the entire district. This made it the first region in the world with dual gigabit coverage for both fixed broadband and mobile communication networks.
