The 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games, which opened yesterday at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the 'Ice Ribbon,' are showcasing not only the prowess of humanoid robots but also the transformative power of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) networks. China Unicom Beijing and Huawei have collaborated to build an integrated digital foundation powered by a 5G-A GigaUplink network, supporting intelligent event operations, robot competition, and spectator experiences. This deployment is another real-world validation of the 5G Capital initiative, demonstrating how advanced connectivity can enable robots to move beyond the arena and into everyday life.
This year's Games feature significant upgrades in scale and complexity. With 1,301 competitions across 51 events, 2,056 humanoid robots from 666 teams worldwide are participating. The number of events has nearly doubled from 26 in the inaugural Games, with new high-intensity head-to-head events such as table tennis and kickboxing. Scenario-based competitions have expanded into real-world settings including industrial production, hotels, homes, and logistics, while dance events place greater emphasis on synchronized movement across multiple robots. These autonomous competition formats and higher task complexity place stringent demands on networks for high-capacity uplink, millisecond-level responsiveness, and high reliability, supporting real-time robot telemetry, precise control signaling, and multi-robot coordination.
To meet these requirements, China Unicom Beijing and Huawei deployed a dedicated 100 MHz network, complemented by a 300 MHz LampSite ultra-wideband indoor network. A dedicated 5QI 7 slice combined with carrier isolation keeps end-to-end latency for humanoid robots within 30 milliseconds, supporting millisecond-level decision-making and response. By further integrating the dedicated network with BeiDou RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) positioning, the solution delivers decimeter- to sub-decimeter-level positioning accuracy, enabling autonomous navigation and precision racing in complex environments. On-site tests recorded a peak uplink speed of 1 Gbps, with average latency below 30 milliseconds.
Beyond robot connectivity, China Unicom has prioritized the spectator experience. To address high-density, heavy-traffic demands, network resources and service assurance policies are dynamically adjusted according to event phases: admission, waiting, competition, and departure. Core services such as instant messaging, ticket inquiries, QR-code admission, and mobile payments are prioritized for stable access, while the network also accommodates data-intensive services like photo uploads, short-video sharing, and live streaming. This ensures spectators can stay connected and share highlights in real time even during peak traffic.
On the operations side, China Unicom has developed China's first embodied AI robot management platform designed for event scenarios. Through a unique network ID assigned to each robot, event staff can monitor its location, competition status, and operational metrics in real time, creating a closed-loop operations and management system.
Yang Lifan, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom Beijing, said: "This network deployment is not only a real-world test of China Unicom's network capabilities; it will also help us accumulate valuable network assurance experience for the large-scale deployment of embodied AI. China Unicom will continue to build on the experience gained through the 5G Capital initiative and turn technological innovation into tangible and replicable network capabilities for the Mobile AI era." David Li, President of Huawei's Wireless TDD Product Line, added: "The 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games have provided a compelling real-world validation of the 5G-A 100 MHz GigaUplink network based on 3.5 GHz 2CC + 2.1 GHz SUL for embodied AI scenarios. Looking ahead, we will continue to work with China Unicom Beijing to strengthen uplink capabilities and advance spectrum coordination, building multidimensional network capabilities with tiered and differentiated service assurance for multimodal device-to-cloud transmission."
The implications of this deployment extend far beyond the Games. By demonstrating the ability to support real-time interaction and precise control for hundreds of robots simultaneously, the 5G-A network lays a foundational connectivity layer for the broader adoption of humanoid robots in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics. As robots become more integrated into daily life, the need for ubiquitous, reliable, and low-latency connectivity will be paramount. The 5G Capital initiative, now entering its next phase, is poised to deliver on that promise, setting a benchmark for future smart venues and embodied AI applications.
