A New Challenge for Connected Waterways

The Pinglu Canal officially opened to navigation on September 16, 2026, marking a major milestone for China's inland-to-sea connectivity. Stretching approximately 134.2 km from Guangxi to the Beibu Gulf, the canal is a backbone project of the New Western Land-Sea Trade Corridor and is designed to accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes. [External Link: Pinglu Canal officially opens to navigation]

Beyond its role as a major transportation corridor, the Pinglu Canal is also becoming part of a more connected and digitally enabled waterway environment. Recent reports highlight the use of technologies including BeiDou navigation, cloud computing, and AI to support navigation monitoring and risk management. [External Link: Smart and digital technologies on Pinglu Canal]

As connected applications become increasingly important for waterway operations, reliable mobile connectivity becomes another important part of the infrastructure.

Smart waterway monitoring, data transmission, HD video, daily communications, and emergency response all depend on stable wireless connectivity.

But this raises a practical question:

How can mobile network performance be accurately tested in a waterway environment where conventional road-based drive testing cannot reach?

This is where UAV-based 5G network testing can provide a valuable complementary approach.

The Challenge: Testing 5G Networks Beyond the Shoreline

Conventional mobile network testing is typically performed using vehicles traveling along roads and other accessible routes. This approach works well for many terrestrial environments, but waterways introduce a different testing challenge.

A vehicle can test network performance along a shoreline, but it cannot directly measure network conditions in the center of a waterway.

For a major transportation corridor such as the Pinglu Canal, however, the actual operating environment is the waterway itself.

This creates a gap between:

Where conventional testing can go

and

Where network connectivity is actually being used.

UAV-based network testing provides a way to bridge this gap.

By mounting a lightweight professional network testing device on a UAV, network measurements can be collected directly within areas that are difficult or impractical to access using conventional ground-based testing methods.

UAV-Based 5G Network Testing: Extending Network Measurement into the Air

A UAV-based network testing system combines three key elements:

UAV platform + airborne network testing device + network testing and analysis software

The UAV provides flexible access to the target testing environment, while the airborne testing device performs professional wireless network measurements during flight.

This approach can support network testing in a range of challenging environments, including:

• Waterways and offshore areas
• Low-altitude operating environments
• Large open areas
• Areas with limited road access
• Infrastructure inspection routes
• Other locations where conventional drive testing is difficult

For waterway applications, the key advantage is straightforward:

The testing system can move beyond the shoreline and measure network performance directly in the actual waterway environment.

Pilot AirTest: Airborne 5G Network Measurement

To conduct the pilot test, China Mobile Guangxi Qinzhou Branch deployed Dingli Pilot AirTest, a lightweight airborne network testing device designed for UAV-based wireless network measurement.

Pilot AirTest enables professional network measurements to be collected while the UAV is in flight, helping extend conventional mobile network testing capabilities into environments that are difficult to access from the ground.

For the Pinglu Canal pilot test, the system was used to collect and analyze key 5G network and service performance indicators, including:

• 5G signal and network quality
• Serving cell information
• Downlink and uplink throughput
• Latency
• Network and service performance
• Test route and location information

This allows operators to evaluate connectivity from the perspective of the actual operating environment rather than relying solely on measurements collected along nearby roads.

The Pinglu Canal 5G Pilot Test

As part of a special 5G network experience test, China Mobile Guangxi Qinzhou Branch mounted Pilot AirTest on a UAV and conducted a pilot flight test over a section of the Pinglu Canal.

The UAV entered the center of the waterway and conducted 5G network measurements approximately 5–10 meters above the water surface.

Pilot Test Configuration

The approximately 2 km section was an initial pilot test section, rather than the total testing scope of the Pinglu Canal.

The purpose of this pilot was to validate the feasibility of using UAV-based network testing in the actual waterway environment and establish a practical foundation for subsequent routine network testing and network assurance across the full canal.

Pilot Test Results

The initial UAV-based test demonstrated strong 5G network performance in the tested waterway section.

5G Downlink

>240 Mbps

5G Uplink

>80 Mbps

The measured network performance indicates that the tested 5G connectivity can support a range of smart waterway applications, including data transmission, HD video transmission, daily communications, and emergency communications.

More importantly, the pilot demonstrated the feasibility of bringing professional network measurement capabilities directly into the waterway environment.

From Shoreline Testing to Waterway Network Testing

The Pinglu Canal pilot highlights an important difference between conventional ground-based testing and UAV-based network testing.

Conventional Ground-Based Testing

Road → Vehicle → Shoreline → Network Measurement

UAV-Based Testing

UAV → Airborne Testing Device → Waterway → Network Measurement

The UAV-based approach does not replace conventional drive testing. Instead, it provides a complementary method for testing areas that are difficult to cover from the ground.

For waterway operators and mobile network teams, this creates a more flexible way to assess connectivity along actual waterborne operating routes.

The approach can help support:

• 5G coverage assessment 
• Network quality evaluation 
• Throughput testing 
• Network optimization 
• Connectivity verification 
• Routine network performance monitoring 

From a 2 km Pilot Test to Full-Waterway Network Assurance

The value of the Pinglu Canal project extends beyond the initial 2 km flight test.

The pilot test validated the UAV-based network testing methodology and provided a foundation for future routine testing and network assurance across the full Pinglu Canal.

A potential testing workflow can evolve from:

Pilot Testing
↓
Method Validation
↓
Routine UAV-Based Network Testing
↓
Coverage Assessment & Optimization
↓
Full-Waterway Network Assurance

As the canal enters regular operation and connected applications continue to develop, ongoing network testing can provide operators with visibility into network performance across different sections and operating environments.

This is particularly relevant for smart waterway applications that depend on reliable mobile connectivity for monitoring, data transmission, communications, and emergency response.

Supporting the Development of Smart and Connected Waterways

The development of modern waterways is increasingly moving beyond physical transportation infrastructure.

Digital monitoring, intelligent navigation, connected vessels, remote operations, and data-driven management are becoming increasingly important components of waterway operations. Recent reporting on the Pinglu Canal has highlighted the role of digital technologies in navigation monitoring and risk management. [External Link: Pinglu Canal’s role in regional connectivity]

In this environment, network connectivity becomes part of the operational infrastructure.    

Reliable 5G connectivity can support applications such as:

• Smart waterway monitoring
• HD video and image transmission
• Connected vessel communications
• Remote monitoring and management
• Emergency communications
• Data collection and transmission
• Future intelligent transportation applications

This also means that network testing needs to evolve with the infrastructure itself.

Instead of limiting measurements to roads and shorelines, UAV-based network testing provides an additional way to evaluate connectivity where the network is actually being used.

Why UAV-Based Network Testing Matters

The Pinglu Canal pilot demonstrates a broader principle that applies beyond a single waterway project:

When the operating environment changes, the network testing methodology needs to evolve with it.

For waterways, offshore areas, low-altitude environments, and other locations with limited ground access, UAV-based testing can extend professional network measurement into areas that conventional testing methods may not easily reach.

With a lightweight airborne testing device such as Pilot AirTest, operators can collect network data from the actual operating environment and use the results to support coverage assessment, optimization, and long-term network assurance.

For large-scale connected infrastructure, this provides a practical path from pilot validation to continuous network performance management.

Conclusion: Extending 5G Network Testing Beyond the Shoreline

The Pinglu Canal 5G pilot test demonstrates how UAV-based 5G network testing can complement conventional ground-based measurement and extend network testing into real-world waterway environments.

Using Dingli Pilot AirTest mounted on a UAV, China Mobile Guangxi Qinzhou Branch conducted an initial approximately 2 km pilot test at 5–10 meters above the water surface and achieved measured 5G downlink speeds above 240 Mbps and uplink speeds above 80 Mbps.

The objective was not simply to measure network speed, but to validate a more flexible approach to network testing in an environment where conventional road-based methods have natural limitations.

As connected and smart waterway applications continue to evolve, UAV-based network testing can provide an effective tool for 5G coverage assessment, network optimization, and ongoing network assurance.

From Shore to Waterway.
From Pilot Testing to Full-Waterway Network Assurance.

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Recommended internal-link anchor text:

• UAV-Based Network Testing Solution 
• Pilot AirTest 
• Low-Altitude Network Testing 
• 5G Network Testing 
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