Illegal immigration and the smuggling of goods to and from North Korea is currently a big issue in China.
Border patrols are finding it harder and harder to keep everything in check, especially given the vast amount of land to cover. Now, China's border patrol is looking into using 5G technology to help them curb the flow of refugees and illegal goods between the two countries.
According to local media reports, a Chinese border patrol unit in Tonghua, Jilin province has now signed a deal with China Mobile to set up a new 5G network near the province's border at the Yunfeng Reservoir.
The deal will basically make the border in Jilin China's first 5G checkpoint with full 5G capabilities. The border checkpoint in Jilin is reportedly the pilot province for China Mobile's plans to put up a larger 5G network in China.
The border in Jilin is especially challenging for border patrol officers seeing as that it is mostly comprised of mountains and major road junctions.
The checkpoint is located near one of the ancient kingdoms of Korea, which makes it a historical site and a key trading area between both nations.
Similarly, it is used by North Korean refugees as a crossing point to get into China. Smugglers also use the border as their entry point to transport cash, food, and other items to and from China and North Korea.
Smugglers and illegal immigrants have multiple ways of entry and border patrol officers often cannot cover all these areas. With the 5G network in place, border patrol officers can now take advantage of several interconnected technologies such as virtual reality systems, flying camera drones, and even live 4K night-vision cameras that can automatically track movements.
These systems all require a fast and reliable data delivery network that is only possible with 5G technology. Software and logs used by the border patrols can also take advantage of the technology to sync data on various points in real-time.
Both the local government and the border patrol unit hopes that the implementation of the 5G system will resolve the blind spot problem in the area.
The new technology that will use the 5G network should hopefully help border patrol officers tackle the complex geography and the challenging terrain.
Local officials have mentioned that this summer is especially critical as the number of North Korean refugees is expected to increase given the upcoming severe food shortage in the totalitarian nation.
According to Beijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming, the influx of North Korean refugees is particularly worrying given that most of them do have military backgrounds. Some refugees may even smuggle in guns, which could cause security issues.
