Shanghai establishes itself as a hub of technological innovation. The collaboration between China Mobile and Huawei is revolutionizing the monetization of 5G-A networks, turning challenges into opportunities. A historic event at the Shanghai Stadium announces the beginning of an era, where 80,000 fans benefit from optimized digital services while watching a football match. The bold strategy of China Mobile leverages the elastic capabilities of the 5G-A network and offers a unique experience to subscribers, merging performance and community engagement. Business and technical stakes intertwine, promising a redefinition of the telecom landscape in China and beyond.
A live demonstration at the Shanghai Stadium
On September 21, 2025, the Shanghai Stadium vibrated to the rhythm of chants from 80,000 supporters, showcasing the alliance between China Mobile and Huawei. This football match, featuring Shanghai Shenhua against Chengdu Rongcheng, also highlighted the ambitious 5G-A network monetization project. Huawei invited the international press, offering a true immersion into Chinese football culture.
A large-scale technical challenge
Ensuring high-frequency connectivity for 80,000 simultaneous users represents a major technical challenge. Spectators had the opportunity to share videos and use streaming services without interruption, illustrating the power of China Mobile’s new monetization strategy. This challenge required much more than simple bandwidth solutions.
A differentiated 5G-A experience
China Mobile Shanghai unveils a unique offer: the “Exclusive 5G-A Package for Shenhua Fans”. This approach aims to transform the elastic capabilities of the 5G-Advanced network into tangible value. Subscribers enjoy performance guarantees as well as specific football-related benefits, such as access to all matches via the Migu streaming service.
An innovative economic model
The collaboration between China Mobile Shanghai and the Shanghai Shenhua Football Club allows offering fans an annual package, combining network performance and exclusive benefits. Subscribers enjoy accelerated 5G-A services, unlimited downloads of video ringtones, and merchandise from the club.
Advanced technical infrastructure
The deployed infrastructure has been designed to handle massive and simultaneous user demand. Thanks to Huawei’s GainLeap solution, the network can identify 5G-A subscribers and assign them a high-speed connection of 600 Mbps. This monetization model relies on creating performance differences between standard and premium subscribers.
The roles of advanced technologies
Huawei’s smart wireless displays play a crucial role. These devices integrate communication capabilities and artificial intelligence, allowing for precise perception of network service types and device characteristics within milliseconds. Thus, the latency of scanning QR codes has been reduced by 47%, enhancing the user experience.
Deployment of massive infrastructure
China Mobile Shanghai has made significant upgrades within the stadium to ensure optimal performance. Within the stands, 32 new passive radio units have been installed, doubling the network’s capacity. Additionally, each main entrance has been equipped with EM devices to eliminate weak coverage areas.
Enhanced user experience
During this event, fans benefited from fast mobile payment operations for drinks and snacks. The use of the network allowed for instant sharing of highlights without latency, even during peak activity. Users could interact on social media and see their friends’ reactions in real time.
Repercussions and future prospects
This initiative opens a new chapter in the monetization of 5G-A networks. Traditional models often struggle to justify the necessary investments, while this approach creates differentiated experiences for specific communities. The performance of artificial intelligence boards determines commercial viability, making these relationships more profitable for operators.
User FAQ on the 5G-A network monetization strategy in Shanghai
What is the 5G-A network?
The 5G-A network, or 5G-Advanced, is an evolution of the 5G network that offers enhanced performance, such as faster speeds, reduced latency, and increased capacity for simultaneous connections, thus better meeting the needs of various applications.
How did China Mobile and Huawei launch their 5G-A network monetization strategy?
China Mobile and Huawei collaborated to create a package of exclusive services for football fans, enabling a differentiated network experience through advanced technologies, such as the GainLeap solution, which optimizes performance for premium subscribers during sporting events.
What does the “Exclusive 5G-A Package for Shenhua Fans” consist of?
This package offers services such as network performance guarantees, access to all matches via the Migu streaming service, unlimited downloads of video ringtones, as well as merchandise from the Shanghai Shenhua Football Club for approximately 200,000 football fans.
What benefits can users expect during events at the Shanghai Stadium?
Subscribers to the 5G-A package enjoy download speeds of up to 600 Mbps, enabling them to make quick mobile payments, share videos in real-time without latency, and receive instant notifications from their friends, even under high network demand.
How does Huawei’s technology contribute to the performance of the 5G-A network?
Huawei provides a range of technologies, such as the GainLeap solution, which identifies premium subscribers and assigns them high-speed channels, as well as smart wireless displays powered by AI, which make decisions in milliseconds for network resource allocation.
What type of capacity was the 5G-A network designed to handle during events?
The network was designed to be elastic and scalable, meaning it can accommodate high simultaneous demand from 80,000 users during events, while maintaining high performance and a user experience without degradation in service quality.
What impact could China Mobile’s monetization strategy have on the telecommunications market?
This approach could redefine how telecom operators tackle revenue growth in saturated markets by offering models based on specific experiences for user communities, instead of simply betting on speed or basic connectivity.
How is fan feedback taken into account in this new strategy?
China Mobile Shanghai actively monitors network performance and user experience during matches, through a team of engineers on the ground, to make real-time adjustments based on feedback and subscriber needs.
