China's 1,000km/h bullet train will support 5G, SCMP reported. Passengers will be able to watch ultra-high-definition videos or play games on their smartphones while traveling at 1,000km/h.
Still in development, China's new generation of high-speed trains could travel faster than commercial jets through near-vacuum tubes using magnetic levitation.
Currently, Chinese high-speed trains operate at speeds of 350 km/h and can connect to 5G services provided by telecom operators, maintaining connectivity even in long tunnels.
However, maintaining high-speed communication between mobile phones and base stations becomes extremely difficult at near-sonic speeds.
The reason is that as the phone rapidly approaches or moves away from the base station, the signal frequency received by the phone changes, and high-speed data transmission depends heavily on a stable high-frequency signal.
Installing and maintaining base stations in near-vacuum tubes is also difficult. If the antenna falls off due to vibration, it can pose a serious threat to a fast-moving train.
A research team led by Professor Song Tiecheng at the National Key Laboratory of Mobile Communications at Southeast University discovered that simply laying two parallel cables on the inner wall of the tube can solve the problem of base station installation.
These special cables can “leak” electromagnetic signals and establish a continuous and stable connection between the smartphone and the mobile service provider.
By using efficient coding techniques and adjusting some key signal parameters, the interference caused by frequency changes can be further overcome. Initial computer simulations have verified that this method can maintain stable communication quality during data exchange according to mainstream 5G standards.
Engineers from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation are involved in the research. The corporation has built the world's largest vacuum tube maglev research base in Datong, Shanxi Province, and has begun testing the high-speed propulsion system on large-scale prototype vehicles.
Several Chinese cities are currently seeking approval from Beijing to build the first commercial vacuum tube maglev train lines.
This revolutionary method of ground transportation – known as a “hyperloop” – was first proposed by SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Similar technologies could also be used to propel spacecraft into space at a lower cost.
But Elon Musk abandoned the project late last year due to technological and financial challenges, leaving China as the only country currently developing the technology.
