BEIJING - The Nansha Bridge opened Tuesday in the southern province of Guangdong, becoming China's first bridge with a 5G network, the country's state-asset regulator said Wednesday.

As the latest major transport project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the 12.89-km bridge began to provide 4G and 5G services on the day it opened, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

To ensure smooth network connectivity, telecommunication base stations were launched on the towers and lamp posts of the bridge, an innovative technique, said the commission.

Also known as the Humen Second Bridge, the 40.5-meter-wide Nansha Bridge is the world's widest steel box girder suspension bridge.

Linking Guangzhou and Dongguan, two major cities in the Greater Bay Area, the bridge is designed for a traffic speed of 100 kph and expected to greatly relieve traffic pressure in the area.