China has officially switched on the world’s first commercial 10G broadband network in its futuristic high-tech city of Xiong’an.
The launch marks a major step in the evolution of ultra-fast internet and smart city infrastructure, and a clear statement of intent from the nation aiming to dominate next-gen connectivity.
The rollout, jointly developed by Huawei and state-owned China Unicom, uses cutting-edge 50G Passive Optical Network (PON) technology.
Real-world speeds clocked in at blistering rates – up to 9,834 Mbps downloads, 1,008 Mbps uploads, and latency as low as 3 milliseconds. That’s enough bandwidth to download a 20GB file in under 20 seconds or stream lag-free 8K content with ease.
Located around 110km southwest of Beijing, Xiong’an is no ordinary city. Dreamed up in 2017 as a high-tech satellite city under the personal direction of President Xi Jinping, it was designed as a template for the smart cities of the future. Its urban layout is based on a “15-minute life circle,” meaning every resident should be able to access daily necessities, including shopping, healthcare, leisure, all within a 15-minute walk.
Now, it’s also home to the fastest internet speeds on the planet.
The 10G network enables seamless smart home integration, low-latency cloud gaming, self-driving car infrastructure, AI-powered systems, and immersive AR/VR experiences.
While the technology is impressive, questions linger about Xiong’an’s real-world viability. Despite over A$150 billion invested in infrastructure, the city has struggled to attract residents and businesses. Bloomberg reports describe it as a “ghost town,” with little private sector traction to match the public investment.
Still, China is positioning the 10G rollout as a proof of concept, with broader national deployment on the horizon. It puts the country well ahead of the curve – Australia and many other nations are still working to expand 5G coverage, let alone discuss commercial-grade 10G networks.
The project aligns with Beijing’s broader push toward digital supremacy. Faster broadband enables everything from advanced AI training to precision agriculture and telemedicine.
Huawei also claims the 50G-PON upgrade can ride on existing fibre infrastructure, meaning fewer barriers to wider adoption.
As countries like the UAE and South Korea ramp up their own next-gen internet efforts, China has set a new benchmark.
