The BFA 2024 Annual Conference will be held in Bo'ao, Hainan, from March 26 to 29. In preparations for the conference—and with a measured downlink rate of more than 4 gig per second—Hainan Mobile and Huawei have jointly built Hainan’s first 5G-A (or "5.5G") demonstration area on Dongyu Island. 

5G-A is based on the evolution and enhancement of 5G fifth generation mobile communication networks, but,  through new technologies (such as multi-carrier aggregation, lightweighting, and synaesthesia integration) manages to achieve significant jumps in capacity and connectivity. According to Zhao Feilong (vice-general manager of China Mobile Hainan's Innovation Center of Planning and Construction Department), the network capacity is 10× higher than 5G, and will bring a qualitative leap for a wealth of business experiences such as high-definition video, online live broadcast, glasses-free 3D, and VR.

5G-A has many significant features (such as downlink 10 gigabit speed, uplink gigabit speed, ultra-large number of connections, ultra-low latency) which can realize the integration of communication and perception. With the opening of the Qionghai Bo'ao 5G-A mobile communication site, Hainan has officially entered a new era of commercial 5G-A mobile communications.

“5G-A, as the enhanced version of the the fifth generation mobile communication network, will provide more powerful digital momentum for the development of new quality productive forces,” said Zhao Feilong. “5G-A is equipped with millisecond-level resources and centimeter-level positioning capabilities. It also introduces revolutionary technologies such as synesthesia, passive Internet of Things (IoT), and endogenous intelligence, which can better match the scenes of Internet of Vehicles (IoV), high-end manufacturing, and city perception, and can effectively support the growth and innovative development of digital applications,” he added.