The 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games, held at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the ‘Ice Ribbon,’ opened yesterday with a new digital backbone powered by 5G-A GigaUplink technology. The deployment by China Unicom Beijing and Huawei is not just about supporting the event; it represents a significant step toward integrating humanoid robots into everyday life, according to officials.
This year’s Games feature a major expansion, with 1,301 competitions across 51 events, nearly double the 26 events in the inaugural Games. A total of 2,056 humanoid robots from 666 teams worldwide are competing, including new high-intensity head-to-head events like table tennis and kickboxing. Scenario-based competitions have also moved into real-world settings such as industrial production, hotels, homes, and logistics, while dance events now emphasize synchronized movement across multiple robots.
The increased complexity and autonomy demanded by these competitions place stringent requirements on network infrastructure. To meet these demands, China Unicom Beijing and Huawei deployed a dedicated 100 MHz network, complemented by a 300 MHz LampSite ultra-wideband indoor network. This setup supports real-time robot telemetry and precise signaling exchange, ensuring that end-to-end latency remains within 30 milliseconds—a critical factor for millisecond-level decision-making and multi-robot coordination.
By integrating the network with BeiDou RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) positioning, the solution achieves decimeter- to sub-decimeter-level positioning accuracy, enabling autonomous navigation and agile obstacle avoidance in complex environments. On-site tests recorded a peak uplink speed of 1 Gbps with average latency below 30 milliseconds, showcasing the network’s capability to handle high-capacity uplink demands.
While mission-critical connectivity for robots is paramount, the spectator experience has not been overlooked. China Unicom has implemented dynamic network resource adjustments based on event phases—admission, waiting, competition, and departure—to prioritize core services like instant messaging, ticket inquiries, QR-code admission, and mobile payments. The network also accommodates data-intensive services such as photo uploads, short-video sharing, and live streaming, allowing spectators to stay connected and share highlights in real time even during peak traffic.
On the operational side, China Unicom has developed China’s first embodied AI robot management platform designed for event scenarios. This platform assigns a unique network ID to each robot, enabling staff to monitor its location, competition status, and operational metrics in real time, creating a closed-loop management system.
Yang Lifan, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom Beijing, emphasized the broader implications: ‘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.’ He added that the experience gained through the 5G Capital initiative will be turned into tangible and replicable capabilities for the Mobile AI era.
David Li, President of Huawei’s Wireless TDD Product Line, highlighted the significance of the 5G-A 100 MHz GigaUplink network based on 3.5 GHz 2CC + 2.1 GHz SUL for embodied AI scenarios. ‘Networks are about more than speed. Low latency, high reliability, and ubiquitous coverage are equally important. Building on these capabilities, we will further advance the 5G Capital initiative, continue to expand the boundaries of network performance, and lay a solid foundation for the Mobile AI era, working with industry partners to enable an intelligent future.’
The deployment at the Games underscores the potential of 5G-A technology to support the next generation of embodied AI applications, extending beyond the arena into sectors like cultural tourism, industrial automation, and smart city infrastructure. As humanoid robots become more prevalent, the connectivity foundation laid here could prove essential for their seamless integration into society.
