China's No.4 telecom operator to prioritize 5G-UHD video business
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The newly established China Broadcasting Network (CBN) aims to develop its ultrahigh definition (UHD) video business, which is seen as a potential killer application for 5G.

Phooto: Agencies

Zhong Zhangdui, chief professor with the State Key Laboratory of Rail Traffic Control and Safety at Beijing Jiaotong University, said that CBN's establishment is hugely significant in the construction of the 5G network and the development of industrial chains for the UHD video industry.

The company was officially inaugurated on Oct. 12, becoming the fourth largest telecom operator in China, with registered capital of 101.2 billion yuan.

Along with China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, CBN was granted a 5G license by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in June 2019, becoming the country's fourth 5G carrier.

In May, the company signed a network construction and sharing agreement with China Mobile to jointly deploy and operate a 700 MHz band for 5G network.

Referring to a national action plan on the development of the UHD video industry between 2019 and 2022, Zhong explained that China regards developing the industry as a crucial business direction for the application of 5G.

Zhong stressed the importance of providing and developing UHD video services in order to accelerate the development of 5G, with 4G having already met people's general needs for audiovisual products.

However, this will not be an easy process. The UHD video industry is composed of multiple aspects including UHD video capture, production, transmission, presentation and application. From high-end chips and storage to computing, the upstream and downstream sectors of the entire industry chain all need developing.

"CBN can leverage its advantages in video capture and production," Zhong explained. "By cooperating with China Mobile, it has made up for its shortcomings in transmission, The partnership benefits both sides."

Zhong added that with the 700 MHz band, the strengths of radio and television networks, and the gradually improving content production capacity, CBN can help drive the development of additional links in the UHD video industry chain.

Content created in partnership with Science and Technology Daily.