Using 5G-Advanced to Anchor Multichannel Football Marketing with Shanghai Shenhua and China Mobile

There are still relatively few 5G-Advanced networks live globally, so it’s interesting to see how operators are using it to boost their business.

China Mobile is one of just six providers with 5G-Advanced in operation. In March 2025, its subsidiary Shanghai Mobile announced a collaboration with Chinese Super League team Shanghai Shenhua FC, aiming to boost its brand through a range of new services and marketing efforts to Shenhua’s fans.

Football is a vast business in most countries. The Chinese Super League has been running since 2004, but Shenhua has a development history going back nearly 30 years. Shenhua is one of 16 current teams; it was runner-up in the 2024 and 2025 seasons to local rival Shanghai Port. Shenhua has a strong fan base, with an estimated half a million fans in total and 200,000 directly registered with the club. Most fans are based in the Shanghai area and therefore are reachable with Shanghai Mobile’s 5G-Advanced network, local marketing and stadium offers. Shenhua’s stadium has a sizeable capacity of 80,000.

How the Fan-Exclusive Package Uses 5G-Advanced

The companies have launched the 5G-A Shenhua Exclusive Package for fans. It includes fan discounts and an improved mobile network experience using 5G-Advanced capabilities that prioritize traffic.

Migu, a subsidiary of China Mobile, has the streaming rights to league matches. This allows Shanghai Mobile to include several football matches in the package, meaning fans don’t need to pay per view. It also offers an exclusive video ringback tone, which a caller will see as part of the process of connecting a call.

The package also includes a custom text logo that appears in the top left of the fan’s phone display. This highlights that the package is active and allows the fan to display their loyalty. It’s a dynamic element: if Shenhua wins a match or a tournament, Shanghai Mobile can alter the logo to display an event-specific message. The logo is compatible with 5G-Advanced iPhone and Android models. The football club and Shanghai Mobile manage the logo text together.

Alongside the brand boost for Shanghai Mobile, the package also generates revenue. The deal costs 25 yuan ($3.51) per month or 238 yuan ($33.43) per year.

Connecting with Shenhua Football Fans

The fan-exclusive experience was built based on consumer research. In a survey held by Shenhua football club in 2025, it found that 46% of respondents were interested in team video ringback tones; 78% found watching high-definition live game broadcasts on their phone outside the stadium appealing; and 76% were interested in the ability to display their fan identity, for example, through a custom phone logo.

The marketing efforts aren’t limited to channels and locations, aiming to reach fans all the time. At a club open day, a group of social media key opinion leaders was invited to experience the 5G-Advanced and Migu offerings. The club’s official channels promoted the package and both brands. Inside the stadium, the collaboration was advertised during the game.

In September 2025, six months after both the announcement of the collaboration and the start of the season, China Mobile announced a cobranded store. Outside it, the Shenhua logo was given equal prominence with China Mobile’s logo, and roadside banners were used to raise awareness and attract fans to experience the store. The mid-season timing means the full impact of the store may not be felt until the 2026 season. However, it has already received over 5,000 visitors.

In the store, China Mobile created fan zones with cobranded merchandise, demonstrations using 5G-Advanced to highlight its capability for delivering AI-created and adjusted photos at high speed. The operator also highlighted its 10 Gbps home broadband service and other 5G-Advanced packages.

How Fans Can Personalize Their Experience

Fans who choose the Shenhua fan package can change or customize their video ringback tone whenever they choose; purchase match tickets easily with one click, because the service already has all the required details; and access exclusive chat rooms to discuss games in real time.

There are also multiple ways to engage. Alongside an H5 browser web interface for use in WeChat, there’s also a mini app or program to embed in other apps, as well as a live window experience for Huawei’s HarmonyOS.

5G-Advanced in Shanghai Stadium

Although 5G-Advanced is widely deployed in Shanghai, it can support a better network experience in a large stadium.

Shanghai Mobile updated its network inside Shenhua’s home stadium using multiple carriers to ensure sufficient capacity. Alongside the 2.6 GHz and 4.9 GHz capacity bands that are commonly deployed, it added the 3.3 GHz band as well as lower-frequency bands, such as 700 MHz and 1800 MHz. The operator tuned antenna locations and power levels to maximize performance. In the lower-tier stands, they alternated frequencies to minimize interference issues.

A music concert by Jay Chou highlighted the network performance difference with 5G-Advanced. China Mobile believes it to have been the most traffic-intensive concert ever in Shanghai. With 61,000 attendees, the operator reported that the WeChat upload speed was 98% faster for 5G-Advanced users compared with non-5G-Advanced. This is especially important because WeChat represented 45% of total data traffic during the concert. Similarly, the operator reported that the livestreaming speed was 85% faster with 5G-Advanced.

The Potential for 5G-Advanced Extends Beyond Shenhua

China Mobile Shanghai intends to further develop its close relationship and cobranding with Shenhua. It’s also looking to use 5G-Advanced with other teams and sports. In football, Migu’s livestreaming service has rights to broadcast English Premier League games and the German Bundesliga. Also, NBA basketball, table tennis and badminton are available on Migu.

Shanghai Mobile also sees potential to use 5G-Advanced to improve connectivity for business travel, for example, on high-speed trains. Other opportunities include food delivery services and eSports.

However, it’ll be important to see what happens next at Shenhua football club going into 2026, because this will be the first full season for the collaboration with China Mobile Shanghai. With the fan package and 5G-Advanced running throughout the season, the impact is likely to be greater than in 2025.