China rolls out world’s first military-proof 5G that can connect 10,000 army robots

A mobile communications system that can move through complex terrains has been developed by Chinese scientists

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A groundbreaking mobile 5G base station for military applications has been created by Chinese scientists. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Published: 6:00am, 31 Dec 2024

China has unveiled the world’s first mobile 5G base station, which, after passing rigorous tests, is now poised for deployment on the battlefield.

Jointly developed by China Mobile Communications Group and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), it can provide unprecedented high-speed, low-latency and extremely secure and reliable data exchange services to at least 10,000 users within a 3km (1.8 mile) radius.

Even when PLA troops are advancing at 80km/h (50mph) in complex terrains, such as mountains or cities, and are subjected to electromagnetic interference, the system can still maintain an uninterrupted total throughput of 10 gigabits per second and a latency of less than 15 milliseconds.

The technology was detailed in a peer-reviewed paper published on December 17 in the Chinese journal, Telecommunications Science, by a project team led by senior engineer Hou Jie with the 31567 Unit of the PLA.

This advance has cleared the way for the large-scale use of intelligent war machines. China is building the largest unmanned army on Earth and these powerful yet inexpensive drones, robot dogs and other forms of unmanned combat platforms are expected to outnumber human soldiers on future battlefields. However, existing military communication technologies cannot meet the massive data exchange demands among thousands of robots.

Military 5G differs significantly from the civilian version. The PLA demands uninterrupted connectivity in the absence of ground base stations or when satellite signals are compromised.

Additionally, the antenna installed on communication vehicles must not exceed 3 metres (9.8 feet) in height to avoid hitting obstacles such as buildings or trees. But this severely affects the coverage range of high-quality signals.