Bullet trains arrive at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. (Photo: Xinhua)

The world’s first “5G railway station” will come into service at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Railway Station later this year, delivering easy connection to the Internet via the super-fast network for all passengers in a public place for the first time.

China Mobile (Shanghai) and Huawei jointly held the launching ceremony for the 5G digital indoor system (DIS) at the station on Monday, a busy railway pivot that transports nearly 60 million passengers every year.

Indoor telecommunication is vital for the future of 5G. About 70 to 80 percent of all data consumption is on indoor networks, mostly in public spaces with lots of people, such as at airports, railway stations, and shopping malls.

“Hongqiao Railway Station is leading the 5G commercial deployment in Shanghai,” said Zhang Jianming, vice director of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Information Technology.

The new service will bring a new travel experience and passengers will get more out of their journey. The station will show how 5G applications can improve the experience of traveling and offer real benefits to the public. It will also help to speed up data transmission in more aspects of the digital economy, according to Zhang.

“The commercial use of 5G will come much faster than most people expected. We’re ready for the new era,” said Peter Zhou, chief marking officer of Huawei Wireless Network Product Line.

Known as one of the largest railway stations in China, the passenger flow at Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai reaches 200,000 per day. Supported by informational infrastructure, the station is on the highway of making intelligent service.