In Guizhou, one of China’s most mountainous provinces, robust digital infrastructure is reshaping local economies, preserving cultural heritage and bringing remote communities into the digital era.
The province has overcome geographical and communications barriers with the support of communications networks built by Huawei and China Mobile, providing a digital bridge for villages along the Huajiang Grand Canyon.
Guizhou has reached the top ranks in base station numbers and 5G coverage in China. Under the guidance of national strategies like Digital China and Broadband China, Guizhou continues to enhance communications network construction.
To date, China Mobile has built nearly 200,000 base stations in the province, including more than 70,000 5G base stations. This overhaul means all of Guizhou’s administrative villages and high-speed rail lines are now covered by 5G. Special coverage assurance is provided for key urban and rural areas, with gigabit broadband available in all townships.
Stimulating growth in the mountains
The region’s mountainous terrain has long caused challenges for economic and telecom development along the Huajiang Grand Canyon. Now, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has eliminated physical barriers and the integrated communications networks built by Huawei and China Mobile have provided the digital infrastructure to match.
Drones deployed four 4G sites, four 5G sites and 39 cells on the bridge and in its surrounding areas to provide 4G, 5G and 5G–A connectivity for around 11,000 users. Field tests in hotspot areas like the Yundu Service Area have shown average 5G–A download speeds of up to 1500 Mbps.
“For Guizhou’s complex mountainous terrain, we used drone-assisted lifting and installation to solve the challenge of building networks over cliffs and canyons where traditional construction methods cannot be applied,” said Pan Cong, a network engineer at China Mobile Guizhou.
Improved transport and network infrastructure is stimulating and transforming the development of villages in the region. Residents of Xiaohuajiang Village now use high-speed networks for e-commerce and homestay businesses. In April 2026, the village had a total of 19 homestays, resulting in its homestay revenue and tourist numbers increasing three to fourfold year-on-year.
“Now, more tourists can find out about our village through short videos and livestreaming. And many young people who used to work in other places have returned home to seek careers in the village,” said homestay owner, Lin Guoquan.
The same transformation is playing out in Guizhou’s ancient towns. In Tianlong Tunpu Ancient Town, network construction was very difficult in the past due to the town’s narrow streets and densely-packed stone buildings. Today, Huawei and China Mobile have used innovative solutions to build nine 4G base stations, eight 5G base stations and one 5G–A base station to provide seamless network coverage in the town’s core areas.
With connectivity established, residents began selling local products through livestreaming. This has resulted in a 15% increase in agricultural product sales and a 9% increase in resident income. Dixi Opera, a form of intangible cultural heritage, can now reach a wider audience through livestreaming and relevant livestreams have already garnered more than 100,000 views. These developments have boosted local cultural tourism – from January-April 2026, the number of visitors to Tianlong Tunpu Ancient Town increased by two to three times year-on-year.
Promoting digital inclusion and bridging the development divide
On 29 May, China Mobile and Huawei jointly hosted the TECH Cares Digital and Intelligent Guizhou Roundtable Forum, bringing together representatives from carriers, enterprises and international organisations to discuss how digital infrastructure can enable rural development, preserve intangible cultural heritage and advance sustainable growth.
Yang Mengmeng from China Mobile Guizhou noted that the company established dedicated teams to overcome the challenges of building networks in mountainous terrain. China Mobile has since led the construction of a gigabit Guizhou, delivering 5G coverage to all administrative villages and dual gigabit connections to all townships.
The ambition extends well beyond Guizhou. By 2025, Huawei had worked with partners to provide digital connectivity for 170 million people in rural and remote areas across more than 80 countries and regions. Huawei and China Mobile will continue to innovate in rural network technologies and provide digital skills training to help more regions bridge geographical and digital divides.
“For a remote enterprise, a signal bar is the difference between a local stall and a global market. Where the signal reaches, the economy follows,” said Aleksei Savrasov of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
