Pudong International Airport has launched a 5G experience center in Terminal 2offering a futuristic glimpse of various applications based on the super-fast network that will soon cover the whole airport.

The center was jointly developed by the nation’s telecoms giants China Unicom and China Telecom.

It covers 60 square meters in the ticket hall of T2. Passengerscan experience several applications, such as virtual reality videos and an artificial intelligencerobot through Sunday, the Shanghai Airport Authority said yesterday.

The 5G network is able to provide a peak single-user download speed of 1.6 gigabits per second, nearly 16 times faster than 4G.

The low latency — the gap between sending a command and it being implemented — of the 5G network is especially helpful forthe Internet of Things.

Engineers at the center will help customers compare 5G and 4G. Ten-gigabit videos can be downloaded in just 10 seconds at the center. The center also shows the 5G brake reaction distance of an automated vehicle is2.8 centimeters compared with 1.5 meters under 4G.

Pudong airport handles 200,000 passengers a day from both home and abroad. With 5G, the airport will be developed into a “smart airport” to offer a more convenient and efficient travel experience.

The newly launched center, covered with greenery decorations, also features two virtual reality game facilities and two screens playing 8k, or super-high-definition videos.

Customers can wear virtual reality glasses to watch the scenery of the Lujiazui financial hub and riverbanks of the Huangpu River.

The panoramic video was transmitted to the saver of the center through the 5G network.

An artificial intelligence robot named Xiao Bai (Little White) can talk with customers and introduce news, weather, tourist attractions and airport guidance.

Dramatic boost for industry

Shanghai has accelerated the pace of its development and testing of 5G services covering medical, industrial, manufacturing and entertainment applications.

The vastly faster speed it brings is expected to be a dramatic boost for industry and consumers — for everything from health care and manufacturing to smart driving, high-definition streaming and urban management, according to the city’s economy and information commission.

Shanghai’s latest move adds to a recent trend of Chinese cities adopting 5G networks to meet public demand.

In late January, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in south China’s Guangdong Province launched a 5G base station.

An indoor 5G network will be installed in the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station by the end of this year.